World’s largest cargo plane Beluga XL leaves Kolkata after second visit in a week

The Beluga XL aircraft, the world’s largest cargo plane, left the Kolkata airport on Tuesday after making its second visit to the city in a week, an official said.

The aircraft arrived here at 5.47 am on Monday from the Tianjin Binhai International Airport in China. It departed the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 3.37 pm on Tuesday and headed to Bahrain International Airport, the official said.

The purpose of the stop is crew rest, FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) and refuelling. Kolkata got its first glance at the Beluga XL, which is also the biggest Airbus Beluga series aircraft when it landed at the NSCBI International Airport here on October 8.

The plane, carrying critical components for the Airbus A321, had then departed on October 9, and headed towards Tianjin Binhai International Airport in China.

The overall length of the aircraft is 207 ft, with a height of 62 ft and wing span of 197 ft and 10 inches, according to data on the Airbus website. The Beluga XL is the upgraded and bigger version of Beluga ST.