This Plane Is A Whale, Actually

What do you get when you cross a beluga whale with an Airbus? I could come up with a witty retort or quip but I won’t. I’ll tell you straight-up. You will get the Beluga XL!

For airplane enthusiasts, the French-owned plane manufacturer really went all out with their latest aircraft. Whether you’re into massive planes or not, you’ll find something impressive about the Beluga. And it’s no surprise – who couldn’t notice the beluga face and bright blue eyes on the front?

The Airbus XL is a version of the standard wide-body airliner specifically designed to carry airplane parts and heavy machinery. In 2013, Airbus couldn’t handle the ever-growing demand and population growth so they came up with the solution to go bigger. Much bigger. An advanced version of the A300600ST, the XL has a maximum take-off weight of approximately 227 tonnes. It has a large bubble-type airframe and an eight metre-long, 2.1 tonne fuselage with a spacious cargo bay. Its carbon-fibre wings stretch 60.3m on each side and the Beluga is powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines. Each engine delivers 72,000 pounds of thrust.

The Beluga XL first tried to start its career in acting, but failed to get the part of “Brain” in Pinky & The Brain.