----

Airbus
A340
Long-Range Jetliner

DESCRIPTION:
Designed as a four-engined long-range complement to the A330, the A340
competes primarily with Boeing's 777 and 747. The A340 shares many features with
the A330, including the same fuselage, landing gear, tail assembly, flight deck, and
basic wing. The wing structure and leading-edge slats are slightly modified because
of the two additional engines that power the A340.

The first two major versions of the A340 are the basic A340-300 and the extended-
range A340-200. A combined passenger/freight A340-300 model has also been
developed. One of the latest models is the A340-600 with a longer fuselage for up to
410 (and possibly 550) passengers and much more powerful engines. A shorter
A340-500 with enlarged wings and increased fuel capacity complements the -600 by
offering even greater range. Over 230 examples of the A340 had been built by 2003.

Data below for A340-200 and A430-300

Last modified 15 October 2008

HISTORY:
First Flight (A340-300) 25 October 1991
(A340-500) 11 February 2002
(A340-600) 23 April 2001
Service Entry (A340-300) March 1993 (with Lufthansa)
(A340-500) February 2004 (with Singapore Airlines)

CREW: two flight crew: pilot, co-pilot

PASSENGERS: (A340-200) 263 in three classes, 303 in two classes

(A340-300) 295 in three classes, 335 in two classes
(A340-500) 318 in three classes, 440 in one class
(A340-600) 380 in three classes, 485 in one class

ESTIMATED COST: unknown

AIRFOIL SECTIONS:
Wing Root unknown
Wing Tip unknown
DIMENSIONS:
Length (A340-200) 194.83 ft (59.39 m)
(A340-300) 208.83 ft (63.65 m)
(A340-500) 222.77 ft (67.90 m)
(A340-600) 247.05 ft (75.30 m)
Wingspan (A340-200/300) 197.83 ft (59.06 m)
(A340-500/600) 208.33 ft (63.45 m) including winglets
Height (A340-200) 54.75 ft (16.70 m)
(A340-300) 54.92 ft (16.75 m)
(A340-500/600) 56.72 ft (17.29 m)
Wing Area (A340-200/300) 3,892 ft2 (361.6 m2)
(A340-500/600) 4,729 ft2 (439.4 m2)
Canard Area not applicable

WEIGHTS:
Empty (A340-200) 284,400 lb (129,000 kg)
(A340-300) 285,000 lb (129,275 kg)
(A340-500) 374,780 lb (170,000 kg)
(A340-600) 390,215 lb (177,700 kg)
Normal Takeoff unknown
Max Takeoff (A340-200) 606,300 lb (275,015 kg)
(A340-300) 597,500 lb (271,020 kg)
(A340-500/600) 804,680 lb (365,000 kg)
(A340-500/600 HGW) 837,755 lb (380,000 kg)
Fuel Capacity (A340-200] 40,960 gal (155,040 L)
(A340-300) 37,380 gal (141,500 L)
Max Payload (A340-200) 101,915 lb (45,915 kg)
(A340-300) 95,900 lb (43,500 kg)
(A340-500) 112,875 lb (51,200 kg)
(A340-600) 137,345 lb (62,300 kg)

PROPULSION:
Powerplant (A340-300) four General Electric/SNECMA CFM56-5C2
turbofans
(A340-500) four Rolls Royce Trent 553 turbofans
(A340-600) four Rolls Royce Trent 556 turbofans
Thrust (A340-300) 138,480 lb (616.0 kN)
(A340-500) 212,220 lb (944.0 kN)
(A340-600) 223,910 lb (996.0 kN)

PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: 580 mph (930 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,145 m),
Mach 0.86
at sea level: unknown
cruise speed: 555 mph (890 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,670
m), Mach 0.83
Initial Climb Rate unknown
Service Ceiling 41,010 ft (12,500 m)
 Range (A340-200) 8,000 nm (14,800 km)
(A340-300) 7,150 nm (13,250 km)
(A340-500) 8,665 nm (16,050 km)
(A340-500 HGW) 9,000 nm (16,700 km)
(A340-600) 7,505 nm (13,900 km)
(A340-600 HGW) 7,900 nm (14,600 km)
g-Limits unknown

KNOWN VARIANTS:
A300B11 Airbus design study based on the A300 that led to the
A340 concept
A340-200 Long-range model with a shorter fuselage; 28 built by
2001
A340-200 HGW High-gross weight variant based on the A340-200 with
or A340-8000 increased fuel capacity and reduced passenger load for
very long range
A340-300 First production model; 163 built by 2001
A340-300 Combi Combined passenger/cargo model based on the A340-
300 and typically carrying 190 to 220 passengers plus
four to six cargo pallets
A340-300 Enhanced Upgrade available for A340-300 airframes that includes a
fly-by-wire controlled rudder, improved flight deck, and a
revised cabin
A340-300 HGW High-gross weight variant based on the A340-300 with
increased fuel capacity, a strengthened wing structure,
and uprated engines
A340-500 Long-range model with a fuselage 10.50 ft (3.20 m)
longer than the A340-300 and wings roughly 20% larger
to carry about 318 to 440 passengers and fitted with
uprated engines
A340-500 HGW High-gross weight variant based on the A340-500 with
the increased fuel capacity and strengthened structure of
the A340-600 HGW for greater range
A340-600 Long-range model with a fuselage 35.75 ft (10.90 m)
longer than the A340-300 for 380 to 485 passengers and
equipped with more powerful engines
A340-600 HGW High-gross weight variant based on the A340-600 with
increased fuel capacity and strengthened structure for
greater range
A340M Proposed military version similar to the A340-300 Combi
for use as a personnel and cargo transport or in-flight
refueling tanker

3-VIEW SCHEMATIC:
SOURCES:

 Aboulafia, Richard. Jane's Civil Aircraft. Glasgow: Harper Collins

Publishers, 1996, p. 36-37, Airbus A340.
 Airbus A330/A340 site
 Donald, David, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. NY:
Barnes & Noble, 1997, p. 36, Airbus Industrie A330 and A340.
 Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. San Diego, CA:
Thunder Bay Press, 1999, p. 42-46, A330/A340.
 Müller, Claudio. Aircraft of the World. NY: Muddle Puddle Books, 2004, p.
36-37, Airbus A340-600/-500.
 Rendall, David. Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide, 2nd ed. London: Harper
Collins Publishers, 1999, p. 206, Airbus A340.
 Sparaco, Pierre. A340-500/600 to Exacerbate Airbus-Boeing Rivalry,
Aviation Week & Space Technology, vol. 152, no. 15, 10 Apr 2000, p. 55.
 Sparaco, Pierre. Airbus Aims to Fly A340-600 Next May, Aviation Week &
Space Technology, vol. 153, no. 22, 27 Nov 2000, p. 53.
 Taylor, Michael. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1996/1997.
London: Brassey's, 1996, p. 290-291, Airbus A340.
 Taylor, Michael J. H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory
1999/2000. London: Brassey's, 1999, p. 274-275, Airbus A340.
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Airbus A340
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

"A340" redirects here. For other uses, see A340 (disambiguation).

Airbus A340
A Cathay Pacific A340-
600 landing at London
Heathrow Airport

Role Airliner

Manufacture
Airbus
r

25 October
First flight
1991

March
1993
(delivery
Introduced
began in
January
1993)

Active
Status
Service

Primary user Lufthansa
s Iberia
 Airlines
Virgin
Atlantic
Airways
South
African
Airways

367 as of
Number
31 July
built
2009 [1]

A340-200:
$87,000,00
0 (1989)
A340-300:
$211.8 to
$219.2m
(2008)[2]
Unit cost A340-500:
$233.0 to
$241.1m
(2008)[2]
A340-600:
$245.0 to
$253.7m
(2008)[2]

Airbus
Variants
A330

The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner

manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and
has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 NM (12400 to 16600 km). It is similar in design to the
twin-engined A330. Initial A340 versions share the fuselage and wing of the A330 while later
models are longer and have larger wings.[3]

Contents
[hide]

 1 Development
 2 Operational history
 3 Variants
o 3.1 A340-200
o 3.2 A340-300
 o 3.3 A340-500
o 3.4 A340-600
 4 Operators
o 4.1 Deliveries
 5 Accidents and incidents
 6 Specifications
o 6.1 Engines
 7 See also
 8 References
 9 External links

[edit] Development
The first published studies for the A340 were as the TA11 in 1981, as shown in the
November issue of Air International Magazine (coinciding with the display of the A300 at
that year's Farnborough Airshow). Concept drawings of the A320 (SA 9) and A330 (TA9[4][5]
[6][7]
) were also published, along with estimated performance figures by Airbus Industrie.

BWIA A340-300.

The A340 was launched in June 1987 as a long-range complement to the short-range A320
and the medium-range A300. At the time, Airbus's twinjets were at a disadvantage against
aircraft such as the Boeing 747 because of the ETOPS problem as defined by the regulations:
two-engined aircraft had to stay within 60 minutes' flying distance of a suitable diversion
airport, which prevented them from competing on long over water routes. Furthermore, the
existing ETOPS-immune wide-bodies in the 250-300 seat range, the trijet DC-10 and L-1011,
were aging, as they had been in service since the early 1970s.

The A340 was designed in parallel with the twin-engined A330: both aircraft share the same
wing and similar fuselage structure, and borrow heavily from the advanced avionics and
composite structure technology developed for the A320.

Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-300 seen departing El Prat

Both the A330 and A340 are assembled on the same final assembly line at Toulouse-Blagnac,
France. The four-engined A340 is able to fly long over-water routes. Because of its ETOPS
immunity, Virgin Atlantic Airways used the motto "4 Engines 4 Long Haul" on its A340
fleet.[citation needed]

The A340 was intended to use the new superfan engines of International Aero Engines, but
the engine's development was stopped. The engine nacelles of the superfan engine consisted
of provisions to allow a large fan near the rear of the engine. As a result of the superfan
cancellation by IAE, the CFM International CFM56-5C4 was used as the sole engine choice
instead of being an alternate choice as originally envisioned. The longer-range versions, the
A340-500 and -600, are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines.

When the A340 first flew in 1991, engineers noticed that the wings were not strong enough to
carry the outboard engines at cruising speed without warping and fluttering. To alleviate this,
an underwing bulge called a plastron was developed to correct airflow problems around the
engine pylons and to add stiffness. The modified A340 began commercial service in 1993
with Lufthansa and Air France.[citation needed]

The A340 incorporates features such as fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. It also
uses joysticks instead of yokes, with one joystick to the left of the pilot and one to the right of
the co-pilot. The A340's flight deck is highly similar to the A320s, and employs a common
pilot rating with the A330. This enables A330/A340 flight crews to fly A320s and vice-versa
with minimal extra training. This saves costs for airlines that operate both aircraft families.
The cockpit used to feature CRT based glass cockpit displays on the A340-200 and A340-300
and is now based on LCD displays. Some composite primary structures are also used.

An A340 was the first commercial jet on which passengers could use their mobile phone
during flight. In March 2008 Emirates Airlines introduced a system allowing passengers to
make outgoing calls with their handset. Incoming calls are not possible and the system is not
available at night or during landing and take-off.[8]

[edit] Operational history

With the introduction of higher gross weight Boeing 777s such as the 777-200ER and
specifically 777-300ER, sales of the A340 began to decline. Over the last few years the 777
has outsold the A340 by a wide margin. Although the larger GE90 engines on the 777-300ER
burn considerably more fuel than the Trent 500s, using only two of them compared to four
Trents has meant a typical operating cost advantage of around 8-9%.[9]

A340-600 at the Farnborough Airshow, 2006.

In January 2006, Airbus announced plans to develop the A340E (Enhanced). Airbus
promoted that the A340E would be more fuel-efficient than earlier A340s and close the 8-9%
disparity with the Boeing 777 by using Trent 1500 engines.[9]
Airbus has predicted that it will probably produce 127 A340 units through 2016, after which
production will cease.[10]

In mid-2008, with jet fuel prices double those of the year before, the A340's fuel consumption
led airlines to curtail very long flights of greater than 15 hours. Thai Airways International
cancelled its 17-hour, nonstop Bangkok-New York/JFK route on July 1, 2008, and has
changed its Bangkok-Los Angeles route to one-stop service via Osaka/KIX, with a Boeing
777-300. All 4 of its A340-500 fleet are for sale. While short flights stress aircraft more than
long flights, and result in more frequent fuel-thirsty take-offs and landings, ultra-long flights
require an airline to fill an aircraft's fuel tanks to the maximum; this means that, en route, the
plane is burning a lot of fuel just to carry fuel, a "flying tanker with a few people on board,"
Air France-KLM SA's chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told the Wall Street Journal.

While Thai Airways has consistently filled 80% of the seats on its NYC-Bangkok flights, it
estimates that, at 2008 fuel prices, it would need an impossible 120% of seats filled just to
break even.[11] Other airlines are re-examining long-haul flights. In August, 2008, Cathay
Pacific told the Wall Street Journal that rising fuel prices are hurting its trans-Pacific long
haul routes disproportionately; it will cut the number of such flights it offers and redeploy its
aircraft to shorter routes such as between Hong Kong and Australia. "We will...reshaping our
network where necessary to ensure we fly aircraft to where we can cover our costs and also
make some money," Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler told the newspaper.[12]

[edit] Variants
There are four variants of the A340. The A340-200 and A340-300 were launched in 1987
with introduction into service in March 1993. The A340-500 and A340-600 were launched in
1997 with introduction into service in 2002. All variants are available in a corporate version
from Airbus Executive and Private Aviation.

[edit] A340-200

Qatar Airways Airbus A340-200

One of two initial versions of the A340, the A340-200, with 261 passengers in a three-class
cabin layout has a range of 7,450 nautical miles (13,800 km). This is the shortest version of
the type and the only version with wingspan measuring greater than the length of the plane. It
is powered by four CFMI CFM56-5C4 engines. The plane was intended to open long and thin
routes, especially over water.
One version of this type was ordered by the Sultan of Brunei requesting a non-stop range of
8,000 nautical miles (14820 km). This A340-8000 had an increased fuel capacity, a MTOW
of 275 tonnes similar to the A340-300, and minor reinforcements to the undercarriage. Upon
completion its final range was specified at 8,100 nautical miles (15,000 km). It is powered by
the 34,000 lbf (151 kN) thrust CFMI CFM56-5C4s similar to the -300E.

Other A340-200s were later given performance improvement packages (PIPs) which helped
them achieve similar gains in capability as to the A340-8000. Those aircraft are labeled
A340-213X. The range for this version is 8,000 NM (14,820 km).

Due to its large wingspan, four engines, low capacity, and improvements to the A340-300,
the -200 proved heavy and unpopular with mainstream airlines. Only 28 A340-200s were
produced with several now in VIP service. South African Airways is the largest operator with
6 flying mostly on Cape Town routes. Other current operators include Aerolineas Argentinas
(4), Royal Jordanian (4), Egypt Air (3) and Conviasa (1).

Some A340-200 are used for VIP or military use. Examples of these are Royal Brunei
Airlines, Qatar Airways, Arab Republic of Egypt Government, Saudi Arabia Air Force, The
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the French Air Force. Other historical operators include
Cathay Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Air Bourbon, among others. This version is now out
of production.

[edit] A340-300

Olympic Airlines Airbus A340-300

Kuwait Airways Airbus A340-300

The A340-300 flies 295 passengers in a typical three-class cabin layout over 6,700 nautical
miles (12,400 km). This is the initial version, having flown on 25 October 1991, and entered
service with Lufthansa and Air France in March 1993. It is powered by four CFMI CFM56-
5C engines, similar to the -200. Its two closest competitors are the Boeing 777-200ER and,
formerly, the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11, which is no longer in production.

The A340-300E, often mislabeled as A340-300X, has an increased MTOW of up to 275

tonnes and is powered by the more powerful 34,000 lbf (151 kN) thrust CFMI CFM56-5C4
engines. Typical range with 295 passengers is between 7,200 and 7,400 nautical miles
(13,300 km and 13,700 km). The largest operator of this type is Lufthansa with 30 aircraft. It
was first delivered to Singapore Airlines in April 1996, though Singapore Airlines no longer
operates this model.

The A340-300 Enhanced is the latest version of this type and was first delivered to South
African Airways in 2003. It received newer CFM56-5C/P engines and improved Avionics
and Fly-by-Wire systems developed for the A340-500/-600.
The A340-300 is no longer in production with the last of 217 -300s delivered to a private
Russian customer in September 2008, with the final airline delivery to Finnair in July 2008.
The A340-300 will be superseded by the A350-900.

[edit] A340-500

The A340-500 was introduced as the world's longest-range commercial airliner. It made its
first flight on 11 February 2002, and was certified on 3 December 2002 with early deliveries
to Emirates Airline. While the KC-10 Extender is the longest-ranged production aircraft, the
A340-500 was the world's longest-range commercial airliner until the introduction of the
Boeing 777-200LR in February 2006. The A340-500 can fly 313 passengers in a three-class
cabin layout over 8,650 nautical miles (16,020 km), e.g. it is capable of traveling non-stop
from London to Perth, Australia, though a return flight requires a fuel stop due to
headwinds[13]. Singapore Airlines, for example, initially used this model in a two-class, 181-
passenger layout for its Newark-Singapore nonstop route: a 17-hour, 45-minute "westbound"
(really northbound to 70 nmi (130 km) abeam the North Pole; then south from there across
Russia, Mongolia and China), 18-hour, 30-minute eastbound, 15,345 km (8,285 NM) journey
that remains the longest scheduled non-stop commercial flight in the world[14]. By late June,
2008, Singapore Airlines completed conversion of its 5 A340-500's to an all-Business Class
configuration, with 100 seats, due to high-end passenger demand. These aircraft are also used
on the SQ Los Angeles-Singapore nonstop route. Thai Airways International flew this model
on non-stop flights from Bangkok to Los Angeles and New York/JFK, but terminated the
New York service on July 1, 2008 due to increased fuel costs.

Thai's Los Angeles-Bangkok route is still in service. Thai's entire fleet of four A340-500s
was put up for sale, but poor resale value caused Thai to withdraw them from the market in
October, 2008. Thai is now using some of these aircraft on thinner European routes, such as
Bangkok-Oslo, but will sell them all as soon as it can obtain a reasonable price. They are
worth about USD 180 million each. [15]. Etihad Airways is a recent new customer.

In the first transfer of A340-500s from one airline to another, TAM Brazilian Airlines has
acquired two Air Canada airplanes for use on its São Paulo-Frankfurt route, after Air Canada
replaced them with Boeing 777LRs on its Toronto-Hong Kong route. Additionally, Nigeria's
Arik Air has acquired three A340-500s following relinquishment of their delivery positions
by Kingfisher Airlines of India. A total of 35 A340-500s have been ordered by seven airlines
and four Government "VIP" operators (including Qatar and Algeria), with 29 delivered as of
April, 2009.

Compared with the A340-300, the -500 features a 4.3 m fuselage stretch, an enlarged wing
area, massive increase in fuel capacity (around 50% over -300), slightly higher cruising
speed, larger horizontal stabilizer and smaller vertical tailplane. The A340-500/-600 has taxi
cameras to help the pilots during ground maneuvers. The A340-500 is powered by four
53,000 lbf (236 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 553 turbofans.

Etihad Airways Airbus A340-500

The A340-500HGW (High Gross Weight) version has a range of 9,000 NM (16,700 km) and
an MTOW of 380 tonnes and first flew on the 13th October 2006. It uses the strengthened
structure and enlarged fuel capacity of the A340-600HGW. The certification aircraft became
the first delivery, to Thai Airways International, on 11 April 2007[16]. Kingfisher Airlines had
planned to use this model to operate Non-stop flights from India to North America. However,
in October 2008, Kingfisher transferred three of its five delivery positions to Arik Air of
Nigeria, due to the worldwide recession. Arik Air received these three A340-500s in
November, 2008, and placed them in service on its new Lagos-London Heathrow route, with
nonstop routes to New York, Atlanta, Miami and Houston being added. [17][18] The A340-
500HGW is powered by four 56,000 lbf (249 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 556 turbofans.
Emirates Airline is the largest operator, with ten aircraft.

The direct Boeing equivalent is the 777-200LR, which entered service in February 2006,
exceeding the A340-500 as the world's longest-range commercial airliner.

[edit] A340-600

China Eastern Airbus A340-600 in Expo 2010 livery

Planform view of a Virgin Atlantic A340-600 take off. The undercarriages are still retracting.

Thai Airways Airbus A340-600

Designed as an early generation 747 replacement, the A340-600 flies 380 passengers in a
three-class cabin layout (419 in 2 class) over 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km). It provides
similar passenger capacity to a 747 but with 25% more cargo volume, and at lower trip and
seat costs. First flight of the A340-600 was made on 23 April 2001. Virgin Atlantic began
commercial services in August 2002.

The A340-600 is more than 10 m longer than a basic -300, making it the longest airliner
currently in production; more than four metres longer than the Boeing 747-400. The Airbus
A340-600 will continue to hold the record for being the worlds longest commercial aircraft
until the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental is rolled out in 2010. It is powered by four
56,000 lbf (249 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 556 turbofans. It also has an additional four-
wheel undercarriage on the fuselage center-line to cope with the increased MTOW. Airbus
has made provisions for freeing additional upper deck main cabin space, by providing
optional arrangements for additional facilities such as crew rest areas, galleys, and lavatories
upon the "stretched" A340 aircraft's lower decks.
In April 2007, The Times reported that Airbus had advised carriers to reduce cargo in the
forward section by five tonnes to compensate for overweight first and business class sections.
The additional weight causes the aircraft's center of gravity to move forward thus reducing
cruise efficiency. Airlines affected by the advisory are considering demanding compensation
from Airbus.[19]

The A340-600HGW (High Gross Weight) version first flew on 18 November 2005[20] and
was certified on 14 April 2006.[21] It has an MTOW of 380 tonnes and a range of up to
7,900 NM (14,600 km), made possible by strengthened structure, increased fuel, more
powerful engines and new manufacturing techniques like laser beam welding. The A340-
600HGW is powered by four 60,000 lbf (267 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 560 turbofans.

Emirates Airline became the launch customer for the -600HGW when it ordered 18 at the
2003 Paris Air Show[22]; but postponed their order indefinitely and later cancelled. Rival
Qatar Airways, which placed its order at the same airshow, took delivery of the first aircraft
on 11 September 2006.[23] It has since let its purchase options expire. [24]

The most direct Boeing equivalent to the A340-600 is the 777-300ER (although the 777-300
can also be offered in competition). The A340-600 will eventually in the future be replaced
by the A350-1000, which will also compete with the 777-300ER.

[edit] Operators
Main article: List of Airbus A340 operators

[edit] Deliveries

By the end of July 2009 a total of 384 A340s had been ordered (28 A340-200, 218 A340-300,
35 A340-500 and 103 A340-600) and 367 delivered (28 A340-200, 218 A340-300, 29 A340-
500 and 92 A340-600).[1]

200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 199 199 199 199 199 199 199
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

6 13 11 24 24 28 33 16 22 19 20 24 33 28 19 25 22

[edit] Accidents and incidents

The wreckage of Air France Flight 358 at Toronto Pearson International Airport

As of 17 May 2009, the A340 has not had a fatal incident, but there have been five hull-loss
accidents:

 20 January 1994 - Air France, an A340-211 (F-GNIA) was lost to fire during servicing at
Charles de Gaulle Airport.
 24 July 2001 - SriLankan Airlines, an A340-300 (4R-ADD) was destroyed by an explosive
charge. Terrorists of The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam launched a suicide attack at the
Bandaranaike International Airport.
 2 August 2005 - Air France Flight 358, all 297 passengers and 12 crew survived a crash and
fire after their A340-300 (F-GLZQ) overshot runway 24L at Toronto Pearson International
Airport during a landing in a thunderstorm. The aircraft slid into Etobicoke Creek and broke-
up. Forty-three were injured, one seriously; some passengers jumped nearly 20 ft (6 m) to
the ground.
 9 November 2007 - An Iberia Airlines A340-600 (EC-JOH) was badly damaged after sliding off
the runway at Ecuador’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport. The landing gear collapsed and
two engines broke off. All 333 passengers and crew were evacuated via inflatable slides, and
there were no serious injuries. The aircraft was scrapped.
 15 November 2007 - An A340-600 was damaged beyond repair during ground engine testing
at Airbus' facilities at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport. Six days prior to the airplane's
planned delivery to Etihad Airways, the plane pushed itself[25] up a sloped concrete wall,
suffering severe fuselage damage. The cockpit section was severed and fell to the ground
from a height of about 15 m atop the wall. Five people on board were injured, three of them
seriously.[26] The aircraft was written off.[27]
 20 March 2009 - An A340-500 (A6-ERG) being used for Emirates Airline Flight 407 struck its
tail multiple times during the takeoff roll from Melbourne Airport, resulting in severe
damage to the rear pressure bulkhead. The aircraft returned safely to the airport after
dumping fuel and no serious injuries were reported among the 225 passengers. [28] The
aircraft was initially expected to be written-off, but was instead flown back to Airbus
Industries in Toulouse, France from Melbourne for major repairs, as Flight EK-7608. This
special, unpressurized flight, lasting several days from 20 June 2009, was flown at 10,000
feet, with two en route stops at Perth and Dubai. The repair estimate is 80 million U.S.
dollars. [29]

[edit] Specifications
Measurement A340-200 A340-300 A340-500/-500HGW A340-600/-600HGW

Cockpit crew Two

Seating capacity 239 (3-class) 295 (3-class) 313 (3-class) 380 (3-class)

59.39 m 63.60 m 67.90 m 75.30 m

Length
194 ft 10 in 208 ft 8 in 222 ft 9 in 247 ft 0 in

60.30 m 63.45 m
Wingspan
197 ft 10 in 208 ft 2 in

361.6 m² 439 m²
Wing area
3,892 ft² 4,725 ft²

Wing sweepback 30° 31.1°

16.70 m 16.85 m 17.10 m 17.30 m

Height
54 ft 9 in 55 ft 3 in 56 ft 1 in 56 ft 9 in

Cabin width 5.28 m (17.3 ft)

Fuselage width 5.64 m (18.5 ft)

23.24 m 25.60 m 27.59 m 32.89 m

Wheelbase
76 ft 3 in 84 ft 0 in 90 ft 6 in 107 ft 11 in

Typical empty 129,000 kg 129,275 kg 170,400 kg 177,000 kg

weight 284,396 lb 295,503 lb 375,668 lb 390,218 lb

Maximum take- 275,000 kg 276,500 kg 372,000/380,000 kg 368,000/380,000 kg

off weight 606,300 lb 609,600 lb 820,100 /837,800 lb 811,300/837,800 lb

Mach 0.82 (896 km/h,

Cruising speed Mach 0.83 (907 km/h, 490 knots, 564 mph)
484 knots, 557 mph)

Take off run at 2,990 m 3,000 m 3,050 m 3,100 m

MTOW 9,810 ft 9,840 ft 10,000 ft 10,170 ft

14,800 km 13,700 km 16,020/16,700 km 14,360/14,630 km

Range fully loaded
8,000 NM 7,400 NM 8,650/9,000 NM 7,750/7,900 NM

155,040 L 140,640 L 214,810/222,000 L 195,881/204,500 L

Max. fuel capacity
40,957 gal 37,153 gal 56,750/58,646 gal 51,746/54,023 gal

18 LD3s/6 30 LD3s/10
Cargo capacity 32 LD3s/11 pallets 42 LD3s/14 pallets
pallets pallets

11,887 m
Service ceiling
39,000 ft

Engines (4x) CFM56-5C2 CFM56-5C2 Rolls-Royce Trent Trent 556/560

(138.78kN) (138.78kN) 553/556 (236/249kN) (249/260kN)
CFM56-5C3 CFM56-5C3
 (144.57kN)
(144.57kN) CFM56-5C4
CFM56-5C4 (151.25kN)
(151.25kN) CFM56-5C4P
(149.9kN)

[edit] Engines

Model Date Engines

A340-211 1993 CFM 56-5C2

A340-212 1994 CFM 56-5C3

A340-213 1994 CFM 56-5C4

A340-311 1993 CFM 56-5C2

A340-312 1994 CFM 56-5C3

A340-313 1997 CFM 56-5C4

A340-541 2003 RR Trent 553-61

A340-642 2002 RR Trent 556-61

[edit] See also

 Competition between Airbus and Boeing

Related development

 Airbus A330

Comparable aircraft

 Boeing 747
 Boeing 777
 Ilyushin Il-96
 McDonnell Douglas MD-11