Airbus fetes first flight of its new 'whale in the sky' called Beluga XL Farnborough Airshow reports $192 B in orders

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) – European aerospace giant Airbus conducted last week the first test flight of the giant new Beluga XL, an even bigger version of the company's workhorse transport plane which has been in service since the mid 1990s.

Decorated for the occasion as a "whale in the sky," the plane's crew took off at exactly 10:30 a.m. to a cheering crowd of 10,000 people at Airbus's facility in Toulouse, southern France.

The A330-743L Beluga XL has grown six meters (20 feet) longer and one meter wider from the Beluga ST, stretching its carrying capacity by 30 percent.

Airbus says that at 19 meters tall the plane is as big as a three-storey house and can carry up to 51 tonnes of cargo, the equivalent of seven adult male elephants – though animals cannot be transported because the hold is not pressurized.

The five planes being developed will be used to ferry around parts for building Airbus's other range of planes at its production sites across Europe.

Two wings of the A350 long-haul passenger jet can now be carried, instead of just one previously, for a maximum distance of 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).

LONDON (AFP) – England's Farnborough Airshow this week saw deals worth $192 billion (164 billion euros), a jump of more than 50 percent compared to 2016, in a sign of "confidence in global trade," organizers said.

The biannual air industry gathering recorded more than 1,400 commercial aircraft orders, valued at $154 billion, alongside at least 1,432 deals for engines worth $21.96 billion.

The total is an increase of $67.5 billion on the last airshow two years ago, with the mile-high rivalry between Boeing and Airbus – who made the majority of plane orders – swelling sales.

US aviation giant Boeing announced 676 orders, totalling $92 billion at list prices, as of Thursday, while its European competitor had unveiled 431 orders worth $70 billion.

"The major deals announced this week demonstrate how confident the aerospace industry is and the role of Farnborough as an economic barometer," said Farnborough International chief executive Gareth Rogers.

The show attracted its most global attendance ever with around 100 countries represented and a record Chinese presence, Farnborough said in a statement.

There was also a near-10 percent rise in trade visitors compared to previous years, with more than 80,000 visitors passing through the gates, it added.