A September milestone in aerospace history, and in ASG Aerospace's own story
September holds a special place in the history of one of aerospace's most recognisable aircraft, and a small place in ASG Aerospace's own manufacturing story.
The Airbus BelugaST, known around the world simply as the Beluga, spent three decades at the heart of Europe's aerospace manufacturing network. Its unmistakable profile was designed for a highly practical purpose: carrying major aircraft structures between Airbus production sites and final assembly lines across Europe.
September runs through the story of its development. Construction began in September 1992, and on 13 September 1994 the first Beluga took to the air from Toulouse, a date Airbus records as a landmark in its industrial history. The fleet entered service in 1995, succeeding the Super Guppy transporters that had supported Airbus's early growth.
The Beluga went on to form an air bridge linking manufacturing sites in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, carrying wings, fuselage sections and other large structures to final assembly. ASG manufactures transport jigs of the kind used to move airframes and major structures between Airbus facilities, giving the group a connection with this remarkable logistics operation.
Simon Weston, CEO of ASG Aerospace, said: "The Beluga is one of those aircraft that almost everybody recognises, whether they work in aerospace or simply love aviation. It is a wonderful reminder of how much engineering sits behind every aircraft, from the structures themselves to the tooling and transport that bring them together."
The Beluga was developed as Airbus expanded its distributed manufacturing model, allowing major sections built at specialist facilities to reach final assembly lines quickly and connecting production across several countries. Airbus describes its fleet of five BelugaST aircraft as the backbone of its internal logistics from 1995 onwards.
The aircraft also became a familiar sight in British aerospace. Airbus has highlighted its long association with Broughton in North Wales, where it collected UK manufactured wings for delivery to facilities in continental Europe.
Weston added: "Aerospace manufacturing has always depended on a vast network of skills, technologies and specialist companies working together. The Beluga made that network visible. You could watch an aircraft carrying major structures from one manufacturing location to another and see the scale of the industrial system behind every Airbus aircraft.”
The BelugaST completed its final operational flight in January 2026, when aircraft number 5 flew from Bordeaux to Airbus Broughton, the site it had served for so many years. There it begins a new mission as a STEM education facility, inspiring schools and community groups across the UK and the next generation of aerospace engineers. Its successor, the larger BelugaXL based on the A330, now carries Airbus's major components between 11 sites across Europe, and from the middle of 2027 it will be Airbus's sole transporter of aircraft components.
More than three decades after those defining September milestones, the Beluga continues to inspire as a symbol of the manufacturing network behind modern aircraft and one that ASG Aerospace is proud to support.
