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Behemoth of a plane touches down for last time
Western Mail
|January 31, 2026
THE last UK BelugaST, one of the largest aircraft in the world, completed its final flight on Thursday, touching down in Broughton
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> The last UK BelugaST, one of the largest aircraft in the world, completed its final flight on Thursday, touching down in Broughton
(Jonathan Jacob / Airbus / SWNS)
THE last UK BelugaST, one of the largest aircraft in the world, completed its final flight on Thursday, landing in Wales.
The super jumbo touched down in Broughton at around 11am, having completed its final journey from Bordeaux, bringing down the curtain on a 30-year career as the backbone of Airbus’ industrial logistics.
There are plans to turn the aeroplane, designated “Tango Foxtrot”, into a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) support facility at Airbus Broughton. The larger BelugaXL will take over from mid 2027, offering a 50,500kg payload and more volume.
This story is from the January 31, 2026 edition of Western Mail.
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