The storms that hit North Wales this week meant a regular sight in the Chester skies was nowhere to be seen.
The effects of Storm Barney caused a diversion for the Airbus Beluga, which normally lands at Hawarden Airport.
The whale in the sky took off from Hamburg on Tuesday but the strong winds meant it had to divert to Manchester Airport, where it landed at around 6.15pm.
A rare sight for aviation enthusiasts, Chester's loss was Manchester’s gain as the bizarre looking plane caused a real stir.
And on Wednesday, spotters were back out in force to catch its 2.50pm departure.
The Super Transporter is a plane modified to carry aircraft parts and oversized cargo.
View a gallery of pictures inside the Beluga.
Anthony Cassidy MCR @SmartieAnt Tweeted: “I’ve just seen the Beluga aircraft at Manchester Airport. Very impressive!”
Yvan Greenaway @SonicStar817 added: “If you are Spotting at Manchester Airport look out for the Airbus Beluga that diverted last night. Should depart at 2.50pm today. #avgeek.”
The Airbus 300-600ST is a version of the standard A300-600 wide-body airliner.
Its nickname Beluga, after the white whale which hails from the Arctic and sub-Arctic, has gained so much popularity it’s now been officially adopted by Airbus.
One of the largest cargo holds of any civil or military aircraft flying today, it plays a key role in keeping Airbus production and assembly operating on full throttle.
