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The unique cargo capabilities of the Airbus Beluga

Ever since the beginning, Airbus has been searching for innovative solutions to move its aircraft parts accross Europe for the final assembling process. First, these jobs were done by the so-called Super Guppies. But with the changing requirements, these vintage aircraft have been replaced by the Beluga. A Report by Payload Asia.

The production line of Airbus A380 Super Jumbo in the Jean-Luc Lagardère final assembly hall in Toulouse is rapidly picking up steam and at least four A380s under currently under construction.

Components for the giant aircraft are moving in increasing numbers from the various production plants in Europe by land, sea and air in an incredibly complex logistics operation to ensure that each part arrives on time.

For the transport of components by air, Airbus is relying on the operations of its wholly-owned cargo airline, Airbus Transport International (ATI).

Thes company was formed in 1996 and operates a fleet of five A300-600ST Belugas, the most voluminous air cargo carrier flying in the world today.

The Beluga was designed specifically to replace the Super Guppy (a converted Boeing 377 Stratocruiser), which since 1972 carried the Airbus components across Europe until it retired in 1996.

Airbus claims that the Beluga ("white whale") features the widest fuselage cross-section of any aircraft, civil or military, and its main deck cargo volume is greater than the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, Antonov AN-124 and Boeing C-17.

Tailored for the transport of heavy and voluminous cargo loads, the Beluga is able to carry a payload of 47 tonnes over a range of 900 nautical miles.

It is because of this capability that Airbus is using the plane to carry fuselage sections and wings between the different European production sites.

As a result, Airbus Transport International has the experience and know-how in outsize cargo transport that comes from daily operations in an international environment. Heading ATI is managing director, Louis Germain

At current levels of production, the fleet is performing more than 40 ferry flights a week, between Airbus sites in Nantes, Saint Nazaire, Bremen, Getafe, Broughton, as well as Alenia in Naples, and the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg.

Germain says that the productivity of the Beluga can be used a lot more "provided we extend the capability of the network", which means additional programmes such as the A400M military transport aircraft, or higher production rates for existing aircraft programmes.

Airbus has announced that the A320 family production rate will increase from 20 to 30 aircraft per month by the first half of 2006. Likewise, the A330/A340 production rates will go up from six to eight aircraft a month by the second quarter of 2005.

The planned increases mean, among other things, that the utilisation of the Beluga will rise as well.

As a result ATI is already planning to increase its cockpit crew base by about 10 percent and Germain says ATI has already embarked on an additional crew training programme to make sure qualified crews are in place by the time the increased production rates take effect.

The company currently has 35 pilots and flight engineers who operate the fleet of five modified A300-600 Super Transporters.

Although the Beluga's have been used for external work such as the space industry (satellites), aeronautical industry (flight simulators), military helicopter transports, and flying repair parts for Airbus aircraft (AOG), the scope of additional external transports is 'limited', says Germain. He adds that ATI is charging Airbus commercial rates for these AOG flights.

"Our priority is the transport of Airbus components to ensure that the production lines continue without interruption," he says.

"But ATI is, of course, interested in providing commercial services to the market, but these services should not influence our main task. Any time we have a request, we have to study it to see if it can be fitted in our regular flight schedules."

Moreover, there are technical considerations, such as the massive, but non-pressurised cargo hold of the Beluga.

Most, if not all, external transports are arranged through a global network of brokers, who are aware of the Beluga specifications.
"They know what we can do and that we don't, for instance, transport horses. It is a rather specialised sector for voluminous and out-sized cargo.”

As the 'transport' subsidiary of Airbus, ATI is also involved in chartering additional cargo capacity for EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company, which includes Airbus) in those instances where the Beluga's are either not available or are unable to carry the loads.
"Occasionally we charter B747 freighters," says Germain.

When the conversion of the fifth Beluga was about to start some time in 2000, Aérospatiale and Deutsche Airbus formed a joint venture to try and market the Beluga to independent outsize cargo airlines.

FedEx was one of the potential targets at that time, says Germain, but the substantial price tag of US$200 million per aircraft plus conversion, coupled with the limited use of the aircraft for out-sized shipments, proved to be too big a hurdle.

An additional limitation, says Germain, is the absence of an on-board loading system on the Beluga, compared for instance, with the self-contained loading systems of the Antonov AN-124.
Loading and unloading of the Beluga is dependent on specially development structures, which have been installed at the Airbus factories which supply components, but which would create insurmountable logistics problems for any outsized cargo airline.

"It has been difficult to find an operator that was able to purchase the aircraft and at the same time make money with it," admits Germain.

Asked if Airbus could restart the conversion line of the Beluga in case ATI, or another operator would want to acquire the aircraft, Germain says that although the most expensive tools have been kept, he doesn't expect a restart of the Beluga.

"Technically, the life expectancy of the Beluga is 25 years, which would take the first Beluga that entered service in January 1996 to 2021" he notes, "but whether it will be an economical life as well, I am not sure."

He states that in ten years' time, there will be "a new product, a new concept."

If that happens, Germain says, "we will have to be more flexible on on-board loading systems. I am sure we will develop something on board the plane that will allow us to be less dependent on airport equipment."

Copyright for texts and pictures: Payload Asia, Singapore. This report is brought to you in partnership with Payload Asia, the air cargo/express magazine for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. To learn more about Payload Asia, please visit their website.