'Flying Whale': Why Airbus Beluga made a rare landing at Mumbai and Kolkata airports?

The Airbus Beluga is widely known not only because of its the world’s largest aircraft but also due to its unique design

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Airbus-Beluga Airbus-Beluga-India Airbus-Beluga-Mumbai

In a rare development, the world’s largest aircraft named Airbus Beluga made its rare landing at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on November 22. Seeing Airbus Beluga's halt at Mumbai Airport, passengers gathered in large numbers to witness the 'flying whale' in India. Mumbai Airport took to its official handle and shared a series of photos of the 'flying whale' resting at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. "Look who made a pitstop at @CSMIA_Official ! The Airbus Beluga Super Transporter made its first appearance at #MumbaiAirport and left us all awestruck. Tell us what you think of its unique design." the tweet reads.

Earlier, the Airbus Beluga was also seen at the Kolkata airport where it landed for refueling before leaving for Thailand. Kolkata airport also shared images of the unique aircraft on Twitter. "Guess who’s back! It’s the whale again! One of the world’s largest aircraft @Airbus #Beluga (No. 3) landed at #KolkataAirport for crew rest and refueling. Here are few glimpses of the majestic beast from the #cityofjoy," wrote Kolkata Airport.

About Airbus Beluga

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The Airbus Beluga is widely known not only because of its the world’s largest aircraft but also due to its unique design. As the name suggests, the Airbus Beluga draws inspiration from the popular Beluga whale. The Beluga is used to transport big and heavy objects such as vehicles and different space programs. The large aircraft has been witnessing additional demand following the sanctions imposed on Russia since the beginning of its special operation in Ukraine affected Russian-operated Antonov An-124 services.

To be precise, the Airbus A300-600ST (Super Transporter), or Beluga, is a version of the standard A300-600 wide-body airliner modified to carry aircraft parts and outsize cargo. It received the official name of Super Transporter early on; however, the name Beluga, a whale it resembles, gained popularity and has since been officially adopted. Airbus Beluga has a carrying capacity of up to 47,000 KGs. Beluga requires 23 thousand 860 litres of fuel. This is not the end, it is known that this aircraft can run at 864 km per hour despite its large size.

Airbus Beluga Video

After the aircraft was spotted flying, netizens started to share the video on Twitter and hence Beluga started trending.

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