'Smiling whale' Beluga marks 30 years in Wales

Lynne and Stuart Jones watch the Beluga aircraft arriving at Hawarden Airport whenever they get the chance

As the Beluga aircraft approaches its 30th anniversary of flying in the north Wales skies, devoted plane spotters are getting ready to attend a special event to celebrate the occasion.

Lynne Jones, 44, from Flintshire, has braved all weathers to watch the unique cargo planes since she was a young child.

She said: "It’s just a little break from the day-to-day busyness of work and home life - I love it."

Another devoted fan described the plane as a "smiling whale" and said she even has a tattoo of the aircraft.

The Beluga aircraft transports wings for other planes from the Airbus factory in Flintshire

Known as the Beluga because of its resemblance to the breed of whale, the aircraft transports wings for other planes from the Airbus factory in Flintshire.

There are a few things that set the Beluga XL apart - its size, its shape and the broad smile it wears across its "face".

But what makes it truly unique is the way its nose opens up to allow freshly produced wings to be loaded on board.

The fleet delivers them to factories around Europe every single day, making them a familiar and popular local sight.

An area known as Beluga Bank has been created alongside the airport to give plane spotters a better view of the arriving and departing aircraft

Lynne and her husband Stuart Jones, from Saltney, watch the Beluga planes arriving at Hawarden Airport whenever they get the chance.

It is their way of spending time together.

Mrs Jones said: "Whenever we get the time we go and watch the Beluga at our favourite spots.

"We head down to Chocks Away Diner and watch the aircraft together. It's great."

In 2019, Mr Jones decided to set up the Beluga XL Hawarden Facebook page dedicated to the aircraft - which updates followers about its busy schedule.

By now the page has almost 14,000 followers and the couple receive messages from fans all over the UK who want to catch a glimpse of it.

Mrs Jones added: "We started the group to bring the Beluga fans together to share their passion and love for the aircraft.

"Lots more people seem to be interested in it than you would think."

Beth Clutterbuck travelled from Manchester to see her favourite aircraft

Beth Clutterbuck, 26, from Manchester, is also a devoted fan of the Beluga aircraft.

She first discovered the Beluga planes flying over north Wales more than a year ago.

Ms Clutterbuck said: "I only knew about it because of its flight path - when it flies to Hamburg it goes over Manchester so I saw it one day in the sky."

A few months later she visited Wales to see it arrive at Hawarden Airport.

"It’s such a joyful thing looking up in the sky and seeing a big smiling whale there. What’s not to love about it?"

Ms Clutterbuck is a devoted fan of the Beluga aircraft and even has a tattoo of it on her leg

In March, Ms Clutterbuck decided to have a tattoo of the aircraft on her leg.

She said: "It's a simple design but I wanted it because the Beluga makes me really happy.

"I just thought I’ll get a tattoo because when I can't see it in the sky I can see it on my leg instead."

Paul Kilmister, Head of Supply Chain at Airbus UK, said a special event for fans is being held to celebrate the aircraft and its history

Airbus has organised a "fireside chat" at Storyhouse in Chester on Wednesday, where Head of Beluga Operations Jean-Pierre Cousserans and Head of Transport Operations Philippe Sabo will recount the story of the plane.

Paul Kilmister, Head of Supply Chain at Airbus UK, said: "We really wanted to give something back to the community that's really supported the Beluga.

"We decided to put on an event and it's our opportunity to be able to share the 29 years of history with the Beluga in Broughton.

"We're showing some never seen before footage and some really interesting photos of how we actually constructed the aircraft."

In future the Beluga may make fewer appearances in our skies, but Mr Kilmister said that is a result of environmental improvements.

He said: "It runs on a blend of fuel called SAF - sustainable aviation fuel - and this really helps us drive the decarbonisation of aerospace.

"On top of that we're changing the jigs and the way that we load the wings.

"Very soon this aircraft will be able to take eight single aisle wings instead of four.

"That will help us reduce the number of Beluga flights by half."