Airbus's white whale-shaped super transport plane

Airbus's BelugaXL aircraft has been refurbished to have the eyes and smile of a beluga whale, according toCNBCThe aircraft's new look was revealed this week as the vehicle 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 at the top. The nickname was so popular that Airbus adopted it as the name for the aircraft shortly thereafter.

The odd-looking aircraft is adapted to ferry large aircraft components such as 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, and in 2005, it was used to deliver medicine and relief supplies to the US after Hurricane Katrina.

The new BelugaXL is 6 metres longer and 1 metre wider than the BelugaST it replaces. It also has a payload capacity of 6 tonnes more than its predecessor. 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 is scheduled to enter service in 2019.