Airbus has discovered that success in the airliner business does not necessarily translate to success in the airline business. The planemaker shut down its oversized cargo carrier Beluga last week after just 14 months in operation. And the reason cited for the sudden closure? It’s too hard, according to the company that built a 600-seat two-story airliner. “AiBT is not ending operations because of changes in the air freight market,” a spokeswoman told AFP. “The main challenge was the significant operational difficulties.”
Beluga was born when Airbus phased in a new generation of oversized parts carriers based on the A330 to replace the original aircraft, which were built on the A300, the first Airbus airliner. The first-generation Belugas still had lots of life left in them but weren’t big enough for the A350 parts that Airbus needed to move. The four Belugas were still plenty big enough to carry satellites, engines and other big things that need to be moved carefully and quickly so the company was formed in late 2022.
