Aerospace Museums   Air Cargo & Freight Logistics   Europe   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Workforce & Skills Development   Airbus  

Airbus retires BelugaST fleet after final flight; 'Tango Foxtrot' to become Broughton STEM hub

Airbus's A300-600ST BelugaST completed its final operational flight on 29 January, flying from Bordeaux to Broughton in the UK and ending nearly 30 years of service. The fifth and final Beluga—'Tango Foxtrot'—will be converted into a STEM education facility at Airbus Broughton.

Discovered 2026-01-28T08:19:14.573073-08:00 | 2026-01-28T08:19:14.573073-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The fleet milestone: the fifth of five A300-600ST Belugas has been retired after almost 30 years of service and one airframe will be repurposed as a STEM education centre at Airbus Broughton, preserving heritage while promoting science and engineering careers.

  • Production and logistics context: the withdrawal removes a dedicated internal transport asset at a time when Airbus has previously said it would keep some Belugas flying through about mid-2027 to support the A320neo ramp [source:104278f5-b23f-453c-a734-36d07761dc94]; the move comes amid ongoing delivery and production pressures at the airframer [source:c39dfbd8-359d-4e27-9b57-807bb91a6832].

Reported By

airgways.com air-journal.fr Airways Magazine Air Cargo News Skies Magazine aerobuzz.fr
Sources Tracked
36
First Seen
2026-01-28T08:19:14.573073-08:00
Latest Update
2026-02-03T12:03:15.682475-08:00
Coverage
Aviation

Sources

Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.

Related Coverage