'Flying whales' Beluga XL takes off for the first time

BelugaXL, one of the world's largest mechanical transports, first flew in the sky of southwestern France in the wake of 10,000 people.

BelugaXL, Airbus' new super-transport engine , made a successful test flight yesterday, according to News.com.au. Airbus unveiled an aircraft model in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 people near the company's headquarters in Toulouse, France.

The bizarre shape of Airbus is named Beluga due to its appearance of a white whale. This is the first of five Airbus planes to be produced before 2023 to replace the BelugaST model. BelugaXL will be used to transport large parts of aircraft from different production locations around Europe to the final assembly line in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany.

BelugaXL aircraft.

BelugaXL's first flight departs from Toulouse-Blagnac airport in France at 14:24 local time. The plane flew for 4 hours 11 minutes before landing at the airport. Next, BelugaXL aircraft will undergo 10 months of flight testing for certification. If all goes according to plan, Airbus will bring the BelugaXL into operation next year.

BelugaXL is 63.1 meters long, 18.9 meters high and has a wingspan of 60.3 meters. The new model is 6 meters longer and 1 meter wider than the previous model, and has a capacity of more than 30%. BelugaXL can carry two wings of the A350 XWB instead of BelugaST. The vehicle weighs 125 tons and can carry 53 tons with a range of more than 4,000km. The aircraft uses two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turboprop engines with a thrust of 316 kN.

The headliner design and lower cockpit make more room for the main cargo compartment, while also giving the vehicle a unique appearance. Corresponding to BelugaXL's whale shape, Airbus also painted whale mouths and eyes on either side of the nose.