Airbus BelugaST joins aviation heritage at Toulouse Aeroscopia museum
Toulouse, France, June 24, 2026 — One of Airbus’ BelugaST aircraft (A300-600ST F-GSTD) has been relocated to its new permanent home at the Aeroscopia Museum in Toulouse. Transferred from the industrial flight line, the aircraft was welcomed in a reception attended by Airbus employees and the local aerospace community. This transition concludes a three-decade operational career and marks the beginning of the aircraft’s new mission as one of the museum’s main exhibits.
Since entering service in 1995, the BelugaST fleet of five aircraft has been a key component of Airbus’ industrial system. These oversized freighters formed the backbone of the company’s internal logistics, transporting major components such as wings and fuselage sections between manufacturing sites across Europe. Since 2014, the larger next-generation BelugaXL has become the primary transport solution supporting Airbus’ production ramp-up, with a fleet of six aircraft.
“This aircraft is a true testament to the industrial legacy and engineering excellence that have defined Airbus for over five decades,” said Jean-Pierre Cousserans, Head of Airbus Transport International (ATI), the subsidiary managing the company’s transport activities. “Moving it into its final position at Aeroscopia was a special moment for all of us. Knowing it will remain in Toulouse to inspire future pilots, engineers, and aviation enthusiasts makes this final handover one of the most rewarding milestones of my career.”
The BelugaST4 will now focus on public engagement, joining a collection of historic aircraft that includes the Concorde, the Super Guppy, and the A380. The arrival of the aircraft at Aeroscopia follows the retirement of the BelugaST5 in the United Kingdom earlier this year. In January 2026, a sister aircraft landed at Airbus Broughton to be transformed into a dedicated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) support facility.
Beluga enthusiasts will be able to see the replacement for the BelugaST, the even larger BelugaXL, in the skies transporting Airbus components to 11 sites across Europe. Airbus announced the retirement of the BelugaST fleet earlier in 2025. From mid-2027, the six-aircraft BelugaXL fleet will become the sole transporter of Airbus components.
About the Airbus BelugaST
- The BelugaST fleet entered service in 1995 to replace the Super Guppy. It revolutionized how Airbus aircraft components were transported across Europe, enabling production scaling to record levels. The BelugaST payload is 40 tonnes — equivalent to the weight of an adult humpback whale.
- “Tango Delta” turned 27 years old on December 18, 2025.
- Special missions for the BelugaST fleet included:
- In 1997, the BelugaST set a world record for the largest payload carried by air, transporting a chemical tank for a merchant ship.
- In 1999, a BelugaST transported the famous Eugène Delacroix painting Liberty Leading the People from Paris to Tokyo.
- In 2003, a BelugaST performed the longest 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.
- It also transported the Columbus module for the International Space Station and delivered large telecommunications satellites such as Inmarsat to launch sites.
Source: Airbus
