The final Airbus BelugaXL has taken to the skies for the first time with a two-hour and 40-minute flight out of Toulouse. BelugaXL 6 rolled out of the factory earlier this month sporting a unique livery.

BelugaXL 6 first flight

The last BelugaXL super transporter to be produced by Airbus has completed its first test flight to much fanfare. The giant cargo plane (registration: F-WWYX) took off from Airbus' facility at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) at 09:00 on Friday, remaining airborne for almost three hours.

During the flight, the crew conducted a series of tests and different speeds and altitudes before landing back in Toulouse at 11:42. As Simple Flying reported earlier this month, the sixth and final BelugaXL came out of the Airbus factory with a slightly different livery to its five counterparts. Along with the message 'Also flying outsize cargo to your destination' along the middle of the fuselage, the plane has a winking eye above its iconic mouth.

Five years since the first BelugaXL flight

The first BelugaXL came off the production line in January 2018 before conducting its first flight on July 19th, 2018, almost exactly five years ago. Despite having a fleet of five regular 'Beluga' super transporters, Airbus developed the XL to cope with rising production demand and to fit more parts in its larger hold, such as two A350 wings instead of one.

Photo: Eurospot

The new super transporter officially entered service in January 2020 and is used both to transport aircraft sections between Airbus facilities, along with other outsized cargo missions. Airbus had initially planned to construct just five BelugaXLs but eventually decided to produce an extra one - the cargo giants are all powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the same ones found on the original A330s.

What about the original Beluga?

The Airbus A300-600ST is the original 'Beluga,' introduced back in 2009. Airbus manufactured five of them before developing the BelugaXL, which offers 30% more cargo space. The original Beluga is based on an A300 airframe, while the BelugaXL is based on the A330. With plans to exclusively use the XL across its operations, the manufacturer has made its Beluga fleet available for outsized cargo missions.

Photo: Joerg joerns/Shutterstock

The Beluga has conducted some interesting assignments over the years, including recently flying a satellite to the Kennedy Space Center.

Have you ever seen an Airbus Beluga XL with your own eyes? Where and when was it? Let us know your stories in the comments.