Work to prepare the runway at Airbus Broughton for the new mammoth Beluga XL has been completed.

Hawarden Airport closed at the end of July for the project to revamp the airfield.

Work included runway resurfacing, new turn pads and the erecting of three blast fences, safety devices that redirect the high energy exhaust from a jet engines.

The upgrade was needed to allow the airfield to accept the Beluga XL which is larger than the existing Beluga ST cargo transport aircraft.

Upgrade work has been carried out at Hawarden Airport to accommodate the Beluga XL

Airbus's first XL took off from Toulouse last month and will enter service in 2019 after a 10 month test and certification campaign.

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A spokesman for Airbus said: "The modifications work all went to plan and the runway was inspected by the Civil Aviation Authority on 9 August.

"The runway was officially reopened at 1.30pm on Sunday and the first Beluga aircraft landed at the Aerodrome on Monday morning."

Hawarden Airport at Broughton, North Wales. View of the runway following re-surfacing for the new Airbus Beluga XL. Photo by Ian Cooper

While a Beluga ST has flown in to the revamped runway, it will be a number of weeks before the Beluga XL makes it to North Wales.