Which Airbus aircraft is nicknamed the Beluga because of its whale-like shape?

The Airbus A300-600ST is nicknamed the Beluga because of its whale-like shape.

The aircraft is a specially modified A300-600 wide-body freighter designed to carry oversized aircraft components between Airbus production sites. Its enlarged upper fuselage gives it a bulbous profile resembling the white beluga whale.

ST means Super Transporter. The original Beluga entered service in 1995 and replaced the Super Guppy aircraft that Airbus had used for transporting large parts. Its cargo area is unusually wide and tall but is optimized for bulky components rather than conventional freight pallets.

The A300-600ST should not be confused with the newer BelugaXL. The BelugaXL is based on the A330-200 and began replacing the original Beluga fleet for many transport tasks. Both aircraft serve Airbus's geographically distributed manufacturing system.