As you’re boarding your flight to your next vacation destination, there will likely be a lot of things on your mind.

“How long until I can have a drink?” “I hope I’m not sat next to a crying baby.” “Have I packed enough underwear?”

The one thing you’re unlikely to think? “How adorable is this airplane?!”

That’s because you’re not flying on a BelugaST aircraft. This is the case for two reasons. Firstly, you’re not an airplane wing. Second, the iconic aircraft recently entered retirement.

As explained in an Airbus statement back in January 2026, on 29th January the iconic BelugaST touched down in North Wales after a short flight from Bordeaux, France – its last in a thirty year career.

These adorable aircraft, so named because of their enormous size and unconventional appearance, was designed to allow Airbus to carry airplane parts across the globe – because how to do you transport parts for planes if not on other, bigger planes?

In its record-breaking career, the BelugaST has transported the biggest ever payload (a chemical tank) and the longest ever charter flight (25 hours from France to Australia).

On that flight it carried three helicopters; other notable payloads include the famous Eugène Delacroix painting ‘Liberty Leading the People’, satellites for NASA, and even the Columbus module (a key part of the International Space Station) – all achieved in its mammoth payload of 40 tonnes, which Airbus note is around the same weight as an adult humpback whale.

After thirty years of service, it seems fitting that BelugaST gets a worthy retirement, and thankfully Airbus have come up with one befitting its iconic status.

One of the planes has a future in education, with it being transformed into a huge Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) facility at Airbus’s base in Broughton, North Wales.

The facility will be open to schools and community groups, as Gareth Davies, Head of Airbus Broughton, explained in the statement:

“It’s a proud and incredibly exciting moment for Broughton. This particular Beluga first took flight 25 years ago, and since then has played a crucial part in transporting our wings from Broughton to Airbus’ mainland European sites. By transforming this aircraft into an education facility, we aren’t just preserving our history, we are using it to fuel the future of UK aerospace and inspire the talent of tomorrow. The focus will be to promote STEM in a fun and interactive way to inspire young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.”

Though the BelugaST is retiring, all is not lost for those who prefer their aircraft whale-shaped. The baton has now been passed to the larger BelugaXL, for all your outsized cargo needs.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.