Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea, you swim so wild and you swim so free...baby Beluga, what are you doing in the air?
Imagine flying somewhere for vacation in this monstrosity:
What?!
Airbus debuted this oddly shaped jet in front of a crowd of 10,000 people on Thursday, July 19th at their headquarters in Toulouse, France. The jet--called the BelugaXL, because of the nose of the plane's STRONG resemblance to a Beluga whale--is one of five jets to be built by 2023.
As you can see, Airbus is a big fan of the Whale puns.
It's hard to assess how we feel about the shape of the plane. While it's kind of cute:
It's also INCREDIBLY odd.
According to USAToday, the plane must endure 10 months of flight testing before it is put into service. However, if all goes well, patrons can expect to see this sky whale flying next to them in just under a year.
The aircraft will be used to transport large cargo, so sadly, you won't be able to ride IN the whale itself. But who knows--with enough demand, passenger flights may start to take on familiar shapes as well.
Whale done, Airbus.
