AIRBUS BELUGA LANDS FOR LAST TIME IN N.WALES

CROWDS gathered in Flint-shire yesterday to welcome home an iconic super jumbo as it headed into well-earned retirement.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

Angling into the wind, the Airbus Beluga touched down at Hawarden Airport at 11am having completed its last ever flight.

The trip brought down the curtain on a remarkable 25-year career for an aircraft that, for the most part, transported UK-made Airbus wings to other Airbus facilities around Europe.

Another of its roles was to carry satellites to Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.

The Beluga Super Transporter No 5 (ST5) will now have a permanent home at Airbus Broughton, with plans to turn it into a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) support facility.