’Beluga’ jet stops in Chennai for refuelling

Its Meenambakkam landing is a first for the city

It is whale-shaped, a transporter for outsized cargo and an aviation head-turner.

The unique airlifter, known formally as the Airbus A300-608ST (Super Transporter) ‘Beluga’, touched down in Chennai early on Monday, its multi-hop flight (it has range constraints) having begun in Toulouse, France, on July 7. It then flew to Marseille, Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Ahmedabad. The jet’s Meenambakkam landing, which is a first for the city, and also South India, was a refuelling and crew rest halt, according to an airport official.

An Airbus spokesperson said, “We are honouring a commitment in Singapore to an undisclosed customer.”

At 56.16 m in overall length, a height of 17.25 m and a fuselage width of 7.7 m, the twin-engine transporter has a maximum payload capacity of around 40 tonnes. Manufactured by Airbus, the jet — there are four other such planes — has played a key role in the company’s commercial jet and production activities since the early 1990s, transporting parts, aircraft sections and components, such as tailplanes and wings, from various manufacturing sites. Projects now include catering to businesses involving the transportation of heavy machinery, the energy and space industry and also humanitarian supply missions. Airbus is in the process of introducing a successor aircraft — six new-generation BelugaXLs.

The aircraft has transited through India earlier on its way to the Far East. In a mission touching Ahmedabad and Kolkata in May, a consignment of helicopters was ferried to Thailand.