Airbus A300-608ST Beluga (F-GSTD / Dolphin4) from Airbus Transport International
at Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (Airbus' Hamburg facility, Germany)
The Airbus Transport International subsidiary of Airbus operates a fleet of five A300-600ST known as Belugas (officially called Super Transporter), one of the world's largest cargo carriers. These aircraft perform regular airlift duties for Airbus, carrying fuselage sections and wings between the different European production sites, and they also are made available for chartered commercial flights. The Beluga is a highly modified version of the A300-600 and features one of the widest fuselage cross-sections of any aircraft, civil or military. Its main deck cargo volume is greater than the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, Antonov AN-124 Ruslan and Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The Beluga XL, based on the Airbus A330-700L with similar modifications and dimensions, is being developed by Airbus to replace the type around 2020.