The iconic Airbus BelugaST aircraft has landed at its final destination in Broughton.
The Airbus BelugaST, a distinctive whale-shaped transporter, touched down on Thursday, January 29 at the Airbus Broughton site, where it will begin a new chapter as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) education centre.
One of the world’s largest aircraft, the BelugaST has spent the past 30 years transporting Airbus components across Europe, including wings built in Broughton.
It completed its final journey with a flyby over Chester before landing in North Wales at 11am, having departed from Bordeaux.
Gareth Davies, head of Airbus Broughton, said: "It’s a proud and incredibly exciting moment for Broughton.
"This particular Beluga first took flight 25 years ago and since then has played a crucial part in transporting our wings from Broughton to Airbus’ mainland European sites.
"By transforming this aircraft into an education facility, we aren’t just preserving our history, we are using it to fuel the future of UK aerospace and inspire the talent of tomorrow.
"The focus will be to promote STEM in a fun and interactive way to inspire young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths."
The new facility will be developed in collaboration with local schools to ensure STEM activities align with the national curriculum.
He said: "Flying the Beluga has always been a unique privilege, and bringing the ST5 home to Broughton for the last time was no different.
"As we made our final approach, we were all too aware of the history behind us.
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"Knowing this aircraft will now stay here to inspire future pilots and engineers makes this touchdown one of the most rewarding of my career."
The BelugaST fleet, first introduced in 1994, had its retirement announced earlier in 2025 as Airbus transitions to the newer, even larger BelugaXL model.
From mid-2027, the BelugaXL will become the sole transporter for Airbus components across Europe.
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