Airbus Beluga 'Rescues' Stranded British Airways A350 At London Heathrow

[@tredx14]

the Beluga Xl is so adorable

[@Aviation775]

Good thing they came to the rescue.

[@dimashanafiesg5121]

Mommy beluga come to save her son 😂😂

[@rennazhang426]

I never thought I’d ever find a plane so adorable until I saw the beluga XL..😂 Planes were always COOL 😎 .. now they’re just so stinking cute 🥺😖😂😍🥰

[@isthatso5616]

Now off to Atlanta To repair the damaged Delta A350 collision with aCRJ-900...😂😂 more great a350 news ..

[@DiscoveryRoad]

I think Airbus is like "F*** it we'll just dedicate one XL for A350 rescue operations" 😂

[@Fra93TheGrande]

HAHAHAHA TRUE THAT 😂

[@12345fowler]

@@Fra93TheGrande All good for Airbus finances, it add some billable hours to the bottom line

[@Olifantenstaart]

The Beluga & Beluga XL are indispensable.

[@sarinastokes2814]

Loved watching her push back and fly out of Heathrow! super cool

[@michaelarnold2728]

Looks like there may be another damaged A350 in Atlanta after the incident today. Then there's the poor CRJ that looks pretty bad.

[@Boitaoutix]

Le CRJ est retourné au hangar la queue basse !

[@leifvejby8023]

@@Boitaoutix Det tror jeg!

[@foundation6867]

The Beluga XL is just stunning 🤩

[@2025trainfanmanproductions]

Starting to think that 1 Beluga might head to Atlanta after what ever happened the day after the Belugas Flight to LHR LOL

[@Tina-d8f]

Hopefully one day I'll get lucky and see a Beluga.

[@averagejoe4212]

Thank you!! We were watching it at LHR and were wondering what it was doing there.

[@EruYagami]

Now a stranded Beluga at Schiphol might need another Beluga to the rescue… 😂

[@PlaneSpotterRVer314]

An Airbus rescuing an Airbus!!

[@jakubchloe]

I got to catch it taking off from heathrow yesterday

[@LGNewhaven]

Campilng near Toulouse, it was a real thrill to see these big beauties coming in.

[@kevinmarchbank1636]

Stranded? , Rescue Mission? The Airbus version of Thunderbirds

[@sundragon7703]

This was great press for product support.

[@Just_ATC]

Product support? Nah product delivery. BA Order a massive part, beluga delivers it. No different to amazon or DHL really.

[@aidanclarke6106]

They should have towed the A350 back to Toulouse 😅

[@Fra93TheGrande]

LOL

[@richardshiggins704]

I am surprised that it took so long to get the repair under way .

[@Rasscasse]

There is a big waiting list for the A350, so I guess they had to wait for the part to be manufactured from scratch. They would not want to delay any aircraft on the production line by stealing their parts . So they just had to wait

[@johnfisher2206]

I almost forget about that incident tbh

[@bertram-raven]

(cough) British unions (cough)

[@peterhastings703]

@@bertram-raven Eh?? How about Airbus taking a while to work out how serious the damage was and then plan the repair? Finding time in the chock full A350 production schedule to build a new empennage and any other parts required? Taking Airbus engineers off the production line to make the repairs? And maybe Virgin Atlantics insurers weren't in a hurry to pay out? I also wouldn't think that BA engineers are licensed to perform significant structural repairs like this but, yeah, it's their fault.

[@ATH_Berkshire]

@@bertram-ravenmuch more likely it’s down to the time taken to make the parts available. I doubt Airbus has a replacement 350 stabiliser in stock.

[@collyn89]

2:07 interesting timing on that statement

[@MaxTSanches]

Nice paint job on the Beluga. :)

[@DannoAviation]

It was a real sight to behold at Heathrow yesterday, I believe it was the first ever Beluga XL to arrive at LHR and more than likely will also be the last for a long time…

[@sarikagoode1505]

I love the Beluga. It looks like a friendly whale. 🐳

[@xander1052]

I actually was there on the day. Tried to view the Beluga from the T4 viewpoint but it was just out of view from that angle.

[@Adrenaline_chaser]

These incidents will become ever more frequent with airplane's wings getting ever wider. They are too big to handle! Both Boeing and Airbus should've insisted on folding wings right from the beginning! Anyway the damage is done, but Airbus's future airplanes (A350neo) MUST get folding wings! Props to Boeing for putting on folding wings on the 777x.

[@thaiexodus2916]

Beluga operations are scheduled months in advance coordinating between component manufacturers and assembly plants. April 6th to September 9th, five months and three days waiting line for that aileron delivery.

[@thabotshabalala7114]

In a way it's not stranded, it's at it's home base after all

[@GraemeMcDowell-s8v]

Hardly stranded at its home airport!

[@mikestone9129]

I'd like to know how much VA had to pay for the damages and the loss of income while the A350 was down for repairs.

[@VLC-Construction]

The bill's probably not been finalised yet. Virgin will pay it via an insurance claim. All we know is that their Insurance next time around is gonna be higher. Then again, will it be LHR's fault and insurance payout...?

[@se-kmg355]

More likely the ground service that was in charge for the push back.

[@vividthespis]

Insurance

[@arienoordzij3823]

Hmmm.....you could be Dutch, because they always want to know how much something costs! 🤣😂

[@Sgt_Bill_T_Co]

BA and VA will be paying their own costs on this one there is no insurance for ground collision other than injury/death to passengers and crew.

[@Southmoor63105]

I’ve flown in and out of Toulouse last month, and have taken pics from the airport lounge. They’re parked across the runway!

[@nathanlembke9026]

Not todays delta incident 😂

[@umeshsheela3838]

Good video

[@ahmadtheaviationlover1937]

Awesome❤❤❤❤

[@Xedgehog1]

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have had a rivalry for years. Talk about fistfight.

[@chrisb.2028]

Beluga to the rescue!

[@waschmaschinenfreund]

the A350 colliding with the CRJ at Atlanta is just another new collision, lets see when the CRJ gets its new tail :D

[@freedomforever6718]

The pushback driver was undoubtedly reassigned. The Beluga followed in the footsteps of Boeing's Guppy.

[@u686st7]

Boeing mostly transports their parts between distant plants in the USA by rail.

[@bertram-raven]

@@u686st7 As required by a deal with US rail unions.

[@xander1052]

@@u686st7 however Airbus used the Guppy, which was made by Boeing.

[@ATH_Berkshire]

@@u686st7except for the 787 where extensive use is made of a modified 747 to ship sections internationally.

[@cr10001]

@@xander1052 I think the Guppies / Super Guppies were originally made by Aero Spacelines to transport rocket parts, using surplus Boeing Stratocruiser airframes. Don't think Boeing actually made any themselves. NASA still owns one, apparently. Two Guppies were hired by Airbus, and eventually they bought the rights to the design and built two more themselves. This was before the Belugas came along.

[@mathewgarrard3621]

I bet that would of been pretty cool to see a Baluga come into Heathrow, not something youd expect to see

[@wesellanybiz]

Is there a video of the repairs being carried out on both aircraft?

[@Rasscasse]

Just like Amazon but for plane parts 😄 It was nice to see it in Heathrow yesterday. It’s the first time the beluga has landed there. You can find live footage of the arrival and departure on KZbin if you care to watch it. Beluga arrived LHR 1103h. Departure scheduled for 1720h. Actual departure time 1924h

[@Patriotwarriors17]

I wonder if There will be a rescue mission to ATL now

[@juniorcampbell2980]

Saw the Beluga at LHR on Big JetTv

[@tonysaberwal8895]

Airbus - simply the best!

[@Charles-sn7zy]

Why , because it took 5 months and counting to repair it.. Sure whatever..🤨

[@jackmorris1068]

What's that got to do with anything?​@@Charles-sn7zy

[@hanlun5194]

BA A350 had a collision with VS 787? It reminds me of Korean Air 777-200ER's collision with Asiana A330-300 at Seoul Gimpo airport. Apparently the new Skyteam member VS is stopping Shanghai service and considering a direct flight to Incheon. I would rather see a different alliance member BA resuming Incheon service again soon as Skyteam member Korean Air is already operating a direct flight between London and Seoul. I miss these days when BA, Korean Air and Asiana all operated direct flights between London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon Airport. Passengers loved having ticket choices from 3 different alliances. One World, Skyteam and Star Alliance. Korean Air even had a service to Gatwick from Seoul. I think the passenger demand is there on this route. A lot of people travelling from the UK to Japan, China or Taiwan enjoy having connecting flights at Incheon as they could stand on a chance to get cheaper tickets.

[@jamesx4952]

When he said rescue mission, I thought he meant the beluga was gonna be picking up passengers. That would’ve been historic

[@bertram-raven]

"British Airway are sorry to announce an Airbus Replacement Tail Service on this route." (Explanation for people not living in the UK: One of the most depressing things any commuter can hear is "Bus Replacement Rail Service" when travelling on a train.)

[@TheShowblox]

Hopefully they can rescue the A350 that just collided with a CRJ

[@nipafilms236]

I think that crj needs bigger rescue😅

[@thespacedingoking]

2:30 around Europe. Airbus' factories are around Europe, which should be distinguished to ''around the world''.

[@SepticMonkey42]

2 Delta aircraft collided on the ground at KATL earlier today (Sept9th) the aircraft involved were an A350 and a CRJ, the A350 was taxiing and struck the CRJ while it was disembarking passengers, knocking the vertical stabilizer completely off

[@Anox3151]

I remember seeing the a350 at hearhrow

[@monsieurstrolland8555]

They just created/highlighted a service that needed to be

[@karensayer3089]

Reminds me of a bumble bee. Aeronautically unbelievable it can fly. Those small engines,compared to those of ax planes nearby.

[@AlvinZorDi]

So what was the cause of the delay? Is it a parts supply issue, or did BA just decided to order one recently?

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

These are two different models of Beluga. The oldest ones are based off the A310 and have the Boeing-style interconnected yokes that Airbus used at that time. The newer ones I think are based on the A330 and have the modern cockpit design.

[@DaPlenThing]

It’s been an eventful year for a350s

[@williamwildcat]

Today at about lunch in the uk, I saw a beluga had squak 7700

[@sparky4878]

See the Beluga quite regularly flying in and out of Hawarden, the Airbus factory just outside Chester.

[@kennmuoki]

What is a horizontal stabilizer?

[@Sgt_Bill_T_Co]

Exactly what it says mate.

[@martinschalken7583]

How big is the horizontal stabiliser? It’s not the full sized wing. I would have thought it could fit in a regular freighter aircraft.

[@stephenholland5930]

Picture at 0:32

[@percyonthevlog4824]

There was a beluga XL last week in Hyderabad India.

[@Barney_the_Pufferfish]

wait thats the one i have a model of the 6th is F-GXLO in 1:500 and its nice by Airbus to deliver it to British Airways also today a Beluga XL number 3 diverted to Amsterdam i dont really know why tho

[@marcel-rudimantaj4773]

The XL is as far as i know based on a NEO A330 thats why it is called A330-741

[@EuropeanRailfan-AM]

I hope the Beluga comes back to my local airport

[@EuropeanRailfan-AM]

No it's not LHR but TRN in Italy

[@charlestoast4051]

I'd like to know how much the accident cost Virgin and BA, the details of the settlement, and what measures were taken by Virgin to prevent a recurrence, including any disciplinary measures.

[@IanSHarrison]

But why did it take so long to get the spare part to BA?

[@AirbusBelugaA300ST]

Thats why I saw a airbus beluga XL

[@DentorumM4687]

It would be an interesting video to understand better why it took so long for both airplanes to be in service again. Given the high cost of a grounded plane, the current high demand for planes and the fact that it‘s a standard model. Was it insurance related, regulatory or was Airbus simply not able to deliver the part. Would imagine they have a low number of complete elements available as spare parts.

[@keith_5584]

Admiral, there be whales here!

[@sandradean-nl4cm]

See the beluga a couple of times a week landing at hawarden airport

[@grriceman782]

The A350 also had a tail strike in 2022 … things been through a lot already

[@dieseldragon6756]

_Me, thinking of the usual options I'd consider..._ 🚂 Not a problem! _Then considers the size of an A350s horizontal stabiliser, well outside of the UKs railway loading gauge._ *Ah...* 🙃

[@runny_galaxy1756]

ohhh i watched this on flightradar. was wondering why it was flying to london

[@sfcipher5254]

Do you know about the A350 of Cathy Pacific engine issue that caused their groundings?

[@seagullsbtn]

Now they need to deliver a new wing to the Delta A350

[@pmfx65]

There is also OE-LZQ desperately waiting for a new tail in Vienna ....

[@themerkin1953]

Did it take the damaged stabilator back to Getafe in Spain for repair?

[@Rasscasse]

Apparently not. The new horizontal stabiliser has been delivered but not yet fitted. Not sure if they have even taken off the old one yet. I guess it takes more than a couple of hours to fit one.

[@davee8113]

How many Gup[pie aircraft are they as the rival to the Beluga

[@phuketexplorer]

But can it deliver a tail for a CRJ900? 😄

[@FridgeheadRacingandFlying]

I thought they threw the A350 into the beluga

[@Tpr_1808]

Can't be all carried at once

[@wadehiggins1114]

😂

[@bertram-raven]

When a Beluga carries a Beluga, the laws of physics become skewed.

[@dazrmorrison9558]

Didn’t really explain why such a big plane was used. How big was the damaged part(s)? Quite a bit vague.

[@stephenholland5930]

It was the whole horizontal stabiliser assembly as seen at 0:32

[@philstevens9914]

This was a parts sale operation not a rescue mission. Less drama!

[@ehsan83]

Does anyone wonder why it took Airbus several months before delivering the horizontal stabilizer assembly? We all know an aircraft sitting on the tarmac costs millions to the airline per month

[@jameskjx]

But if it's the Virgin plane's fault, presumably Virgin would be playing. I doubt Airbus keep spares for things like horizontal stabilizers just lying around. They'd have to fit one into the production schedule, once the legal issues had got far enough that an order had been placed...

[@gregsmith3410]

Ironic ,you would post this news about an A350 tarmac incident in April, exactly the same day another A350 is involved in a tarmac collision at Atlanta...Bad Karma !!!!

[@airplanekiwi6019]

Well this didn’t age well with the on ground collision an hour ago at Atlanta

[@redstone51]

God loves the BELUGA!!! Frankly, how in the world can it fly with such dinky wings and 2 engines???😱🤔

[@m-arky66]

Dinky? It's based on a A330, hardly dinky to start with. Dont forget,its lighter than a pax A330 too.

[@Lovecrafjr]

Airbus Beluga is so beautiful compared to the awful Boeing Dreamlifter.

[@matthewbarber9846]

Bloody Dnata 😢

[@ianbowden4587]

Nothing to do with Dnata.

[@matthewbarber9846]

@@ianbowden4587 it was Dnata who pushed the bloody plane!

[@ianbowden4587]

@@matthewbarber9846 It was the handler that I work at. Dnata lost contract with VA to us in 2015.

[@matthewbarber9846]

@ianbowden4587 looked liked a Dnata tug to me when I saw the pics

[@jean-mariejm7404]

And who will come to save a Beluga if its tail is damaged?

[@rockerjim8045]

any idea how much the insurance bill was?

[@pesawatindonesia]

Beluga

[@yoog]

I wonder how much this has cost virgin in the long run.

[@Jul676869]

Wow so long…

[@Charles-sn7zy]

Ironic or what;; The same day this dated blog gets posted, another A350 experienced a ground collision with another aircraft.. Shame on you simple flying !!!

[@VR6_SKC]

So annoyed I didn't get to see it land ir take off, literally live under the flight path 😭😭

[@힐만94]

you can't be stranded in your own house? 😁 heathrow is the base for british airways, so by saying stranded and rescued is like having social workers go to your house and take care of you 😅

[@mattevans4377]

There seems to be more and more mishaps involving planes. I wonder why.......

[@MrSchwabentier]

there aren't, Number of incidents hasn't changed

[@roberthall2259]

Would the pilot of the “Hitting” aircraft have al paycheck deduction to pay for damage to the “receiving aircraft…So much for that new set of Golf clubs.

[@bsmisbsm]

Hi (first )

[@almuric1baggins337]

Hi sad sack!

[@awatercolourist]

Hi 🥇😃😄

[@normanhoneysett4576]

and they complain about female drivers