Airbus halts operations of its oversized cargo division

Airbus has decided to halt the operations of its outsized air cargo service, Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), slightly over a year after it received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC). The fleet of Airbus A300-600ST Belugas, which have been operational for more than two decades, will be returned to the Airbus Transport International (ATI) AOC.

The decision was reported by ch-aviation and marks the end of AiBT, which began operations in early 2022 and became a dedicated airline in November 2023. According to Flightradar24, the last flight using an A300-600ST took place on January 17 from Bremen to Toulouse. An Airbus spokesperson stated, "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."

Although Airbus has not publicly detailed reasons for shutting down AiBT, customers were informed that "economic factors" influenced this decision. The future use of the A300-600STs remains uncertain.