Just under two years after initiating its outsized air-cargo service, Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), operated by Airbus Transport International (ATI), Airbus has achieved its long-term vision: the creation of a dedicated airline with its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC). This significant milestone marks AiBT’s transition into an autonomous freight carrier, ready to serve industries requiring specialized, oversized cargo transportation. We delve into conversations with AiBT’s Managing Director, Benoît Lemonnier, and Head of Flight Operations, Olivier Schneider, to understand the journey to AOC acquisition and the exciting challenges that lie ahead for the Airbus Beluga Transporter.
The path to becoming a fully certified airline was a rigorous process, as Benoît Lemonnier explains: “Our final dossier was a culmination of extensive documentation compiled throughout the first half of last year, covering every critical aspect from Flight Safety and Flight Operations to Ground Operations, Technical Operations, and Crew Training.” Submitted at the end of June 2023, the dossier underwent thorough scrutiny, with AiBT addressing queries and refining details over the summer months. Lemonnier highlights the advantage of building upon existing frameworks: “We didn’t start from scratch, as we leveraged the robust documentation and processes already in place at ATI.”
A pivotal moment arrived on September 26th with the successful completion of the decisive audit by aviation authorities. This achievement was quickly followed by another crucial certification – the “Continuous Airworthiness and Maintenance Organisation” (CAMO) certificate, secured at the beginning of November. These approvals officially empowered AiBT to operate as a fully-fledged airline under its own AOC, signaling a new era for the Airbus Beluga Transporter service.
Building an Airline from the Ground Up: Staffing and Infrastructure
Becoming an independent airline involved more than just paperwork and regulatory compliance. Benoît Lemonnier emphasizes the comprehensive effort required to establish AiBT as a self-sufficient entity: “Becoming an airline meant setting up the entire company in terms of resources. This involved not only meticulous documentation and adherence to stringent regulations but also a strategic approach to staffing and infrastructure development.”
The initial phase focused on assembling a strong leadership team, completed by mid-2023. Subsequently, AiBT focused on recruiting specialized personnel across flight operations, dispatch, crew planning, and pilot roles. “To date, we have brought nearly 60 employees into AiBT,” Benoît states, “through both external recruitment and internal mobility within Airbus, primarily from ATI. Crucially, we invested in comprehensive training to ensure our team was fully prepared from day one.”
Alongside personnel development, establishing operational facilities was paramount. “We developed new facilities, including our main office headquarters near Blagnac airport,” Benoît elaborates. “We also secured our operational aircraft base at Francazal airport, Toulouse, complete with two dedicated parking positions. From this base, our ground crews have been diligently building the capacity and expertise to handle Beluga operations, focusing on loading and unloading procedures for oversized transport pallets, as well as aircraft management and maintenance.”
Another cornerstone of AiBT’s establishment was the formal transfer of the BelugaST fleet from ATI to AiBT’s registry, under lease from Airbus. Currently, AiBT operates three BelugaST aircraft, with a fourth slated for induction in 2024. “In essence,” Benoît summarizes, “we now possess the aircraft, the skilled personnel, the necessary facilities, and, most importantly, the AOC. This complete package empowers us to independently execute missions as our own airline, specializing in Airbus Transporter Beluga services!”
Operational Ramp-Up and Strategic Network Expansion
AiBT’s operational strategy prioritizes a phased approach, commencing with flights within the existing Airbus network. “It is crucial that we initially avoid complex, long-haul global flights,” Benoît explains. “Instead, we are focusing on enabling our flight and ground crews to gain essential operational experience through shorter flights contracted by ATI.” These initial flights, which began in November, serve routes connecting Airbus facilities in Saint Nazaire, Hamburg, Bremen, and Sevilla. This carefully planned approach allows AiBT to rigorously test its internal procedures and provide comprehensive training for all personnel, particularly new pilots, before fully resuming long-haul missions that are core to the Airbus Beluga Transporter’s unique capabilities.
Leadership in Flight Operations: Expertise of Olivier Schneider
A key addition to AiBT’s leadership structure is Olivier Schneider, who assumed the role of Head of Flight Operations in May. Schneider brings over two decades of experience from the Air France Group, encompassing roles as captain, instructor, and head of flight operations for a regional subsidiary. His expertise is crucial as AiBT navigates its initial operational phase.
“The simultaneous ramp-up of operations, crew training, and ground support team readiness presents a significant challenge,” Schneider acknowledges. “We are essentially learning ‘on-the-fly’ because this specific type of operation is novel for many within the team. While the Beluga has undertaken occasional external long-haul missions previously, managing a single mission differs greatly from orchestrating multiple long-haul flights within the same week.”
Schneider further elaborates on the training complexities: “Another key training area is our Operation Control Centre – the airline’s ‘control tower’. Here, we are focused on maintaining smooth, continuous operations while simultaneously training and qualifying two new dispatchers every two months. Our ultimate objective is to operate all five Airbus transporter beluga aircraft concurrently across the globe. This ambitious goal will require meticulous resource management, proactive planning, and seamless coordination.”
Expanding Payload Capabilities and Market Reach
As AiBT builds operational proficiency through intra-European flights supporting Airbus production, a parallel strategic focus is on expanding the range of certified payloads for external customer transportation. “To date, our payload deliveries in 2022 and 2023 have primarily served Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space,” Benoît notes. “Looking ahead to 2024, we are actively focused on diversifying and expanding our customer base.”
To accelerate this expansion, AiBT has partnered with Airbus on further investments to broaden the BelugaST’s certification to include a wider array of helicopters, containers, and aircraft engines. Achieving these certifications is pivotal to unlocking significant market opportunities, a core objective for AiBT as it establishes itself as a leading Airbus transporter beluga service provider. “Later in 2024, we plan to significantly ramp up ‘external flights’, typically long-haul missions,” Benoît states. “Our target is to achieve three such missions per month in 2024, in addition to the ongoing BelugaST missions within Europe supporting ATI’s services for Airbus’ production system.”
Pilot Recruitment and Specialized Training for Beluga Operations
The unique nature of the BelugaST aircraft presents specific challenges in pilot recruitment. Given that it is exclusive to Airbus, there is no readily available pool of pilots externally qualified to operate this aircraft. Pilots with experience on other aircraft types require specialized training to achieve Beluga type-rating, a process that demands considerable time and resources.
To bridge this gap and ensure a smooth operational ramp-up, AiBT has reached an agreement with ATI for 12 of its experienced pilots to join AiBT. These pilots will serve as captains and first officers for up to three years, providing crucial expertise during AiBT’s initial growth phase. Following this interim period, these pilots will return to ATI to operate the expanding fleet of new Airbus A330-200 BelugaXL aircraft.
Concurrently, AiBT is actively recruiting pilots from outside Airbus. Nine external pilots have already been inducted, contributing to a projected total requirement of approximately 36 pilots by 2026.
“We are primarily seeking pilots with experience on A300s and A310s,” Olivier Schneider explains, “as this aircraft family shares cockpit commonalities and systems with the Beluga.” However, he emphasizes that even with relevant experience, a comprehensive training pathway is necessary to qualify as a BelugaST first officer and subsequently progress to captain. “This extensive training requirement underscores the importance of our collaboration with ex-ATI pilots, who will support our development for the next three years.”
AiBT benefits from a strong partnership with the Airbus Training Center in Toulouse, which serves as its officially designated EASA “Approved Training Organisation.” AiBT pilots utilize the A300/A310 full-flight simulator at this center for type rating, recurrent training, and proficiency checks, ensuring the highest standards of pilot qualification for Airbus Beluga Transporter operations.
The Allure of Beluga Missions for Aircrew
Even seasoned pilots from conventional freight airlines cannot seamlessly transition to Beluga operations due to the unique mission profiles and flight characteristics. This necessitates the specialized training and type-rating programs implemented by AiBT. Nevertheless, Benoît and Olivier emphasize the significant appeal of joining the Airbus subsidiary for external pilots. Beyond the prestige of working for a leading brand like Airbus, with its associated career development opportunities, flying the iconic Airbus Beluga and executing its specialized missions presents an exciting and unique challenge for aviation professionals.
For instance, the Beluga fleet was initially designed for the European network, with sector lengths typically not exceeding four hours. However, AiBT’s long-haul missions will require crews to undertake multiple flight legs to reach distant destinations. “This multi-leg approach will be a new experience for many long-haul aircrew accustomed to flying routes like Europe to Singapore non-stop in around 13 hours,” Olivier explains. “With the Airbus Beluga Transporter, we are looking at potentially four legs spread over two days to reach similar destinations.”
Beluga pilots will also operate at different flight profiles compared to typical freighters. Some missions will require flying at 20,000 feet at approximately Mach 0.7, in contrast to the standard 35,000 feet cruising altitude and Mach 0.8 speed of regular freight aircraft. This lower altitude is dictated by payload requirements, as certain cargo, particularly helicopters, may not be certified for altitudes exceeding 20,000 feet within the Beluga’s unpressurized cargo hold. (Conversely, when transporting payloads like space satellites, which are designed for vacuum conditions, the Beluga will cruise at higher altitudes.) Furthermore, operating at lower altitudes exposes the Airbus Beluga Transporter to more varied weather conditions compared to the more consistent atmospheric conditions encountered by standard freighters at 35,000 feet.
Ground operations also present unique aspects compared to typical freighter missions. The Beluga’s elevated main cargo deck necessitates specialized coordination and dedicated ground crews to efficiently unload payloads at destinations. This ground handling process is a critical element of the overall operation and can take several hours to complete.
In conclusion, Olivier Schneider summarizes the overarching vision: “Our goal is to have a fleet of five Airbus Beluga Transporters operating globally. Achieving this will be the culmination of years of dedicated effort. I eagerly anticipate this milestone, and the prospect of Airbus’ iconic Belugas traversing the world’s continents fills me with great excitement. The market demand is evident, and we are fully committed to making this vision a reality.”
