Planemaker

Airbus Beluga touches down in the Philippines

Dirk Andrei SalcedoJuly 27, 20231 Mins read458

The Airbus Beluga pictured in Clark. (Photo by Jhanbren Buan)

The Airbus A300-608ST, affectionately known as the Beluga, made a historic landing at Clark International Airport on Thursday evening during a scheduled technical stop.

Carrying out its duties under the flight code 4Y-8008, the cargo flight embarked from Da Nang, Vietnam, at 5:14 PM (UTC+7), reaching Clark at 8:34 PM (UTC+8).

This noteworthy occasion marks the first-ever Airbus Beluga landing on Philippine soil.

The Airbus A300-608ST, fondly nicknamed the “Beluga” due to its resemblance to the lovable Arctic mammal, is a unique and eye-catching freighter aircraft specially designed to transport oversized cargo for Airbus’ assembly lines across Europe.

Initially, the Beluga was exclusively used by Airbus to transport aircraft parts between its various manufacturing plants, ensuring a smooth production process for the company’s commercial jets.

However, with the introduction of the newer Airbus BelugaXL (Airbus A330-743L Beluga XL), the expanded fleet allowed some of the older Beluga aircraft to be repurposed for commercial cargo transport, further extending their operational capabilities.

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Dirk Andrei Salcedo

An aviation enthusiast turned creator of the top aviation news portal in the Philippines, Dirk has a deep passion for everything that flies. When he's not keeping his finger on the pulse of the industry, he also volunteers with a major humanitarian organization, impacting people on the ground and in the sky.