Work on assembling the first BelugaXL large transporter is progressing well, and attachment of its main cargo door is set to commence in mid-November. Recently received parts for the aircraft's specially designed tail section which have been installed on the aircraft include the horizontal tailplane (HTP), the tail cone and the vertical tailplane (VTP). Airbus has also launched the electrical and mechanical systems installation for the whole fuselage, in readiness for electrical power-on at the end of the year and subsequent ground tests early in 2018. Integration work will start soon on the second aircraft.

The first BelugaXL is scheduled to fly in Q3 2018, ahead of a 10-month flight test certification campaign and will enter service with Airbus Transport International (ATI) in 2019. Aircraft 'number one' is the only aircraft which will take part in this campaign and so it is being equipped with a 'full' flight-test instrumentation (FTI).

The project was launched in November 2014 to address Airbus' future ramp-up capacity requirements. Derived from the freighter version of Airbus' A330-200, the BelugaXL is six metres longer, one metre wider and has a payload lifting capacity six tonnes greater than the current Beluga A300-600ST. When operational, the fleet of five BelugaXLs will take over transporting complete sections of Airbus aircraft among the company's production sites around Europe and to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain.