Airbus has suspended the operations of its outsized air cargo service, Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), just over 12 months after the cargo division received its own Air Operators Certificate (AOC). AiBT had been operating with its fleet of Airbus A300-600ST Belugas which have been in service for over 20 years. The end of the cargo transport division As reported by ch-aviation , the manufacturer will wind down the outsized cargo division and return the four A300-600ST Belugas to the AOC of Airbus Transport International (ATI).
The service was launched in early 2022, with AiBT receiving its own AOC in November 2023 to make it a dedicated airline. However, just over a year later, the manufacturer has decided to suspend the business. According to Flightradar24 , the last A300-600ST flight (BGA151B) was operated on January 17 from Bremen (BRE) to Toulouse (TLS).
The flight was operated by F-GSTB, the second Beluga to join Airbus’ fleet. An Airbus spokesperson said, “We confirm that the decision has been taken to terminate the Airbus Beluga Transport business for outsized cargo missions. All flights operated by the BelugaST fleet are suspended as of now.
The closure project has just started, and it is too early to predict a completion date. One of our main priorities during this time is to support our employees during the social process.” While Airbus has not publicly disclosed the reason for shutting down the wing, it told customers that it was due to “economic factors.
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