BROUGHTON — On January 29, 2026, the last operational Airbus BelugaST aircraft #5, registered F-GSTF, completed its final mission, flying from Bordeaux to Airbus Broughton for retirement, closing the chapter on the original A300-600ST “whale” transporters that have supported Airbus’ internal logistics for decades.
The super jumbo touched down in Broughton, North Wales, at around 11 am GMT, ending a remarkable 30-year career as the backbone of Airbus’ industrial logistics.
The BelugaST fleet has predominantly been used to transport wings manufactured in the UK to other Airbus facilities across Europe.
Airbus says the aircraft will be repurposed on-site into a STEM education support facility for schools and community groups, preserving the Beluga’s legacy in a new role as the BelugaXL fleet fully takes over heavy-lift duties.
BelugaST Factsheet
The BelugaST fleet entered service in 1995 to replace the "Super Guppy." It revolutionized how Airbus’ aircraft components were moved across Europe, allowing Airbus to scale production to record levels.
'Tango Foxtrot' turned 25 years old on 12 December 2025. In its time it has:
- Carried 1,700 wings from Broughton and many other components from other Airbus sites
- Completed around 13,300 journeys between Airbus sites
- Was the most used BelugaST for transporting satellites to the Kennedy Space Center
Special missions for the BelugaST fleet included:
- In 1997, the BelugaST set a world record for the biggest payload to be carried by air, transporting a chemical tank for a merchant ship.
- In 2003, a BelugaST performed the longest ever charter flight at the time, flying for 25 hours plus stops to transport three Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft from France to an airshow in Melbourne, Australia.
- In 1999, a BelugaST transported the famous Eugène Delacroix painting ‘Liberty Leading the People’ from Paris to Tokyo.
- It also transported the Columbus module for the International Space Station and delivered massive telecommunications satellites like Inmarsat to launch sites.
- The BelugaST’s payload is 40 tonnes - the equivalent weight of an adult Humpback whale.
Featured image: Airbus
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