Whale-Shaped Aircraft Lands In Mumbai, Leaves People "Awestruck"

Super transporter Airbus Beluga landed at Mumbai's Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday, and instantly grabbed attention of the airport staff and passengers due to its sheer size. Also known as the A300-600ST Super Transporter, the Airbus Beluga offers a unique way to transport oversized air cargo. According to the Airbus website, these transport planes have been operating for the company's own industrial airlift needs since the mid-1990s, and are progressively being replaced by a fleet of six new-generation BelugaXL versions.

The official handle of CSMIA posted some photos of the huge plane, saying it left everyone "awestruck".

"Look who made a pitstop at @CSMIA_Official! The Airbus Beluga Super Transporter made its first appearance at #MumbaiAirport and left us all awestruck," the tweet said.

It is one of the largest cargo planes in the world, with its nose shaped like a Beluga whale. It offers  customers with large cargo transport solutions for a variety of sectors, including space, energy, military, aeronautics, maritime and humanitarian sectors.

The aircraft is 56 metres long and 45 metres wide, according to the Airbus website.

On Sunday, the plane landed at Kolkata airport, instantly becoming an exhibit for the people flying in and out of the city.

The whale-shaped plane arrived at the Kolkata airport from Ahmedabad around 12.30 am for refuelling and crew rest.

"Guess who's back! It's the whale again! One of the world's largest aircraft @Airbus #Beluga (No. 3) landed at #KolkataAirport for crew rest and refueling," the Kolkata airport tweeted.

The aircraft, which is a rare visitor to this part of the world, left the city at 9pm for Thailand, news agency PTI reported quoting airport officials.