Airbus Retiring The Last Beluga A300-600ST Cargo Aircraft

Jan. 29, 2026, marks the date that Airbus has officially retired the last of its Beluga A300-600ST cargo aircraft. It’s unusual design being a fixture of the manufacturer’s fleet until this year when the last of five aircraft – and the youngest, clocking in at 25 years of service – was transported to Hawarden Airport (CEG) in Flintshire.

The Super Transporter

The iconic aircraft with its unusual design features, resembling the species of whale it’s named after, made it a suitable cargo carrying aircraft for Airbus since 1996, used to transport machine parts for other aircraft between Hamburg and the A300s main cargo hold in Toulouse.

Due to its extended weight, loading ability and operational costs, Airbus made the decision to retire the aircraft in favour of the A330 (aka BelugaXL) as the more current model. According to Airbus, it yields approximately 30% more payload capacity for their cargo flights.

The Retired Cetacean

The A300-600ST was not the first of its kind, as it was based on the blueprints for the B-377-PG made in the early 1960s; itself a modified Boeing Stratocruiser. Airbus eventually bought the rights to make the B-377-SG in the 1970s from Aero Spacelines International (ASI) then started manufacturing them in the early 1980s.

When the Super Guppy fell out of fashion Airbus decided to manufacture their own rendition of the aircraft in September 1992 with the first constructed release of the  A300-600ST, which now looks like it’s befallen the same fate.

There is a positive side to this story though, as the Airbus A330-743L is set to carry on the tradition left by the A300-600ST, becoming the primary cargo transporter by 2027, while its predecessor gets to be displayed at Hawarden Airport and live in peaceful retirement on the Welsh border.

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