I was amuse to hear what had triggered the development of the Beluga (I am sure that someone will correct me if it is not a true story, but it's a fun story anyway!):

Airbus used to use Guppies to fly their big assembled parts around (and they still have an ex-Airbus operated Guppy in their museum at Toulouse). Apparently at some big aviation gathering the top-man in Boeing stated that what delighted him was that the first time an Airbus ever flew was in the back of a Boeing. So Airbus scurried off to develop the Beluga to stop that being true!!

Seems the Volga-Dnepr Group is surfing the COVID wave.

And at the same time Antonov is apparently not doing too well :(