Which Airbus aircraft made its first flight on 19 July 2018?

The Airbus BelugaXL made its first flight on 19 July 2018.

The BelugaXL is a large air-transport aircraft based on the Airbus A330-200. Airbus developed it to carry oversized components between European production sites, including wings and fuselage sections that cannot fit inside ordinary freighters. Its enlarged upper fuselage gives it the distinctive whale-like appearance associated with Airbus’s earlier Beluga aircraft.

The BelugaXL is not a passenger airliner and was built for Airbus’s internal logistics network. Airbus eventually introduced the type to replace and supplement the older A300-600ST Beluga fleet. The first-flight date is separate from the aircraft’s entry into service, which occurred in 2020.