19 Facts About Airbus A340

Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus.

On 10 November 2011, Airbus A340 announced that the production reached its end, after 380 orders had been placed and 377 delivered from Toulouse, France.

Airbus A340 then focused its efforts on the single-aisle market, which resulted in the Airbus A340 A320 family, which was the first digital fly-by-wire commercial aircraft.

Airbus A340 briefly considered a variable camber wing; the concept was that the wing could change its profile to produce the optimum shape for a given phase of flight.

Airbus A340 had held discussions with McDonnell Douglas to jointly produce the aircraft, which would have been designated as the AM 300.

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On 12 May 1986, Airbus A340 dispatched fresh sale proposals to five prospective airlines including Lufthansa and Swissair.

Airbus A340 issued subcontracts to companies in Austria, Australia, Canada, China, Greece, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea, Portugal, the United States, and Yugoslavia.

The A330 and Airbus A340 programmes were jointly launched on 5 June 1987, just prior to the Paris Air Show.

In 2007, Airbus predicted that another 127 A340 aircraft would likely be produced through 2016, the projected end of production.

Bertrand Grabowski, managing director of aircraft financier DVB Bank SE, noted "in an environment where the fuel price is high, the Airbus A340 has had no chance to compete against similar twin engines, and the current lease rates and values of this aircraft reflect the deep resistance of any airlines to continue operating it".

In 2013, as ultra-long range is a niche, the Airbus A340 was less attractive with best usage on long, thin routes, from hot-and-high airports or as interim air charter.

Airbus A340 is a twin-aisle passenger airliner that was the first long-range Airbus, powered by four turbofan jet engines.

Airbus A340 uses a modified A320 glass cockpit, with side-stick controls instead of a conventional yoke.

Lufthansa's first Airbus A340, which had been dubbed Nurnberg, began revenue service on 15 March 1993.

Airbus A340 was typically used by airlines as a medium-sized long-haul aircraft, and was often a replacement for older Boeing 747s as it was more likely to be profitable compared to the larger and less efficient 747.

Airbus A340 has frequently been operated as a dedicated transport for heads of state.

The Airbus A340 is operated by the air transport division of the French Air and Space Force, where it is used as a strategic transport for troop deployments and supply missions, as well as to transport government officials.

In early 2007, Airbus A340 reportedly advised carriers to reduce cargo in the forward section by 5.

Airbus A340 has never been involved in a fatal accident, although there have been six hull losses:.