The Airbus Beluga ST landed on the afternoon of this Monday (25) in Campinas (SP), the final destination of the first trip that the friendly “whale plane” makes to Brazil.
At around 1:50 pm, the aircraft landed at Viracopos International Airport, where it will unload an Airbus helicopter that will be delivered to a Brazilian customer.
Named the Beluga for its resemblance to the white whale — also known as the beluga whale — the Airbus A300-600ST is practically a celebrity among aviation fans. His landing in Campinas was broadcast live on Youtube and social networks.
His unprecedented arrival also became an attraction at the airport. Dozens of people squeezed into a grid that overlooks the track, which ended up becoming a viewpoint for photos and selfies.
Airport officials and federal police also took advantage of the Beluga’s presence to capture the moment.
Yesterday afternoon (24), the plane landed in Brazil for the first time in history, at Pinto Martins International Airport, in Fortaleza. This was also the first time that the model came to Latin America.
The reason for the trip was the delivery of an ACH160 helicopter to a Brazilian customer. The cost of the operation was not disclosed by Airbus.
The Beluga left Toulouse, France, on the 22nd. It loaded the helicopter in Marignane and left for Brazil.
The landing in Campinas was scheduled for Sunday (24). However, before arriving in Fortaleza, the plane made a technical stop in Senegal, where a storm ended up delaying the takeoff for Brazil — delaying the entire schedule.
On Tuesday (26), the Beluga travels back to France, where it returns unloaded.
According to Yohan Closs, vice president of commercial aircraft at Airbus, the Beluga has unique conditions in terms of volume that can be loaded, and that’s what makes it such a special model.
“The maximum capacity is only 40 tons, but the volume it offers allows the transport of helicopters, engines, satellites and military equipment”, he says.
Closs recalls that, in addition to the unprecedented arrival in Brazil, Beluga is bringing the first ACH160 to the country.
“We took the opportunity to bring the helicopter to Brazil and we did it through the Beluga”, he says.
Meet the Beluga
One of the favorite planes of aviation fans, the Beluga attracts attention not only for its friendly appearance, but also for being a relatively rare model.
It started to be produced in the 1990s and there are currently only five in the world.
Until the beginning of 2022, the Beluga was used by Airbus only to transport parts that the French manufacturer itself used to produce its aircraft, such as fuselages and wings. The commercial transport service started to be offered in January of this year.
The whale plane is capable of transporting practically entire planes and became famous with a meme on social media that showed an aircraft being unloaded, playing with the idea of ​​”how planes are born”.
The Beluga is a model developed from the Airbus A300-600 and is 39 meters long, 7.1 meters wide and 6.7 meters high. even bigger than the freighter.
The model is adapted from the A330-200 and is even nicer than the ST version — with two eyes and a whale’s mouth painted on the fuselage.
The Beluga XL is 46 meters long, 8.1 meters wide and 7.1 meters high.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
