The first of Airbus's five Beluga XLs made its maiden flight over south-western France as it departed from the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in Toulouse, France on 19 July 2018. The rest of the large transport aircraft are expected to enter into service in 2019 and will gradually replace the BelugaST transporters.
Airbus launched the BelugaXL in November 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for the aircraft manufacturer beyond 2019. The new oversize air transporters are based on the A330-200 Freighter, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.
