Whale of sky, Airbus Beluga lands at Hyderabad Airport

HYDERABAD: Considered one of the largest cargo aircraft in the world, the Airbus A 300-600 Super Transporter called Beluga made a visit to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. This is the second time that the aircraft with oversized cargo on its top landed in the City of Pearls.

“The whale-shaped Airbus Beluga reached Hyderabad Airport on Tuesday. The Airbus Beluga is known for its ability to transport oversized air cargo. Hyderabad Airport is thrilled to host the whale of the sky once again,” a statement by the GMR Hyderabad International Airport said.

 The Airport authorities made special arrangements for the safe landing, parking and take-off of the heavy aircraft. Beluga was frequently used by Airbus to transport heavy parts of the Airbus aircraft, manufactured in different parts of Europe to Toulouse in France.

The Beluga visited Hyderabad eight months ago and this is its second visit highlighting the growing presence and aerospace engineering prowess of the State. Despite its strange structure, the aircraft could reach Mach 0.7 speed and could carry a maximum payload of 40 tonnes, with a range of 2,779 km.

In 2016, the Hyderabad airport also hosted the world’s biggest strategic airlift, air cargo aircraft Antonov An-225, proving the ability of the airport in handling heavy cargo planes successfully.