Airbus Beluga interior: What it is like inside the whale-looking plane as aircraft spotted landing at Heathrow Airport in rare sighting

Chris Lomas, Aviation Content Specialist at Flightradar24, told NationalWorld that the Airbus Beluga plane “is a totally unique aircraft” and “the main cargo deck almost feels church-like inside, especially when empty.” He said: “This enormous area can carry anything from the largest section of the Airbus A350’s fuselage to both of the widebody jet’s wings.

“The aircraft is loaded and unloaded using specially designed loading ramps, taking advantage of the aircraft’s nose opening cargo door. Technologically, the aircraft is also a marvel.”

He added: “Despite being such an unconventional shape, the Airbus Fly by Wire technology has altered the handling characteristics to replicate the Airbus A330 on which it is based, making the pilot’s jobs more straightforward.” Flightradar24’s recent YouTube video of the Airbus Beluga plane shows in more detail the inside of the unusual aircraft.

The Airbus Beluga was spotted landing at Heathrow Airport on Monday (9 September). The unusually shaped carrier resembles a beluga whale and delivers spare parts to fix Airbus carriers.

It touched down at 11am after flying from Toulouse in France. The plane touched down to deliver parts to a British Airways plane that had been grounded since April due to a collision. The Virgin Boeing 787-9 plane had completed a flight and had no passengers on board while it was being towed to a different part of the airfield when it collided with the stationary British Airways plane. 

While the Virgin Atlantic plane returned to service the British Airways aircraft was grounded due to serious damage. No passengers were injured.

The Airbus Beluga was due to leave Heathrow at 17:40 on Monday to return to Toulouse according to Flightradar24. The Beluga is a massive cargo aircraft designed to carry aircraft parts or large cargo. Airbus currently operates a fleet of six Beluga planes.