Also known as the whale, Airbus Beluga No.2 (A300-608ST) landed at airport for refueling and crew rest halt, the Hindu has reported citing an airport official.
The flight began from in Toulouse in France on 7 July from where it flew to Marseille, Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Ahmedabad.
The cargo transporter is a rare visitor in this part of the world and a marvel to behold, thanks to its unique design, that makes it stand out of regular cargo planes, the Chennai Airport said.
“The elegant whale is here and with such awesomeness! The mighty #Beluga No.2 (A300-608ST) landed at Chennai Airport for the first time, today. The cargo transporter is a rare visitor in this part of the world and a marvel to behold," it said in a tweet.
The Airbus Beluga departed at around 1.25 am on 12 July.
The mighty Airbus Beluga has an overall length of 56.16 metre and a height of 17.25 metre with a fuselage width of 7.7 metre. The Beluga has a maximum payload capacity of around 40 tonnes and has a maximum take off weight of 155 tonnes. It cargo plane carries large cargo, heavy machinery, even smaller planes across the world.
The Airbus BelugaST is featured as one of the most voluminous cargo holds of any civil or military aircraft flying today, offers a unique way to transport oversized air cargo, Airbus website says.
Also known as the A300-600ST Super Transporter, the Airbus-operated Belugas have played a key role in keeping the Airbus production and assembly network operating at full capacity.
They are available for freight companies and other potential customers as a unique solution to meet outsized freight transportation needs. It's semi-automated main deck cargo loading system ensures easy and efficient handling of payloads.
The BelugaSTs have been operating for Airbus’ own industrial airlift needs since the mid-1990s, and are progressively being replaced by a fleet of six new-generation BelugaXL versions.
