Airbus's beluga super transport plane

Airbus's BelugaXL aircraft has been refurbished to have beluga whale-like eyes and a smiling mouth, according toCNBCThe aircraft's new look was revealed this week as it rolled out of a paint shop in Toulouse, France.

The Airbus A300-600ST first flew on September 13, 1994, and was officially known as the Super Transporter. However, the aircraft was nicknamed Beluga due to its distinctive whale-like shape and hump. The nickname was so popular that Airbus adopted it as the name for the aircraft shortly thereafter.

The unusual-looking aircraft are adapted to ferry large aircraft components like wings between Airbus’ European manufacturing facilities and to final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain. In 2004, the Beluga provided relief in the Indian Ocean after the tsunami. In 2005, it was used to deliver medicine and relief supplies to the US after Hurricane Katrina.

The new BelugaXL is 6 meters longer and 1 meter wider than the BelugaST it replaces. It also has a payload capacity of 6 tons more than the previous model. It can carry both wings of an A350 XWB passenger plane instead of just one wing like the BelugaST. The BelugaXL will undergo ground testing before its first flight this summer. It will then enter service in 2019.