Airbus A340

Wide-Body Passenger Jet Airliner (1993)

Aviation / Aerospace

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Official Airbus marketing image.

The Airbus A340 was first introduced with carrier Lufthansa in March of 1993.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/20/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com; the following text is exclusive to this site.

The Airbus A340 series was already in design and development alongside the similar A330 series. In that respect, the two systems would go on to share a commonality in design and internal components with the major visual difference being number of engines (the A340 is fitted with four engines to the A330's two configuration). The A340 also differs in operational market, intended as a long-range, wide-body transport for light traffic markets.

Designed in 1987, the Airbus A340 was introduced in 1993 with carrier Lufthansa in 1993. Its internal layout used two aisles among its passenger seating arrangement. The original A340-200 series was a long-range model and featured a shortened fuselage. The A340-300 then appeared in 1996 and this model was marketed for short range operations with its stretched fuselage. Both were powered by 2 x CFM International CFM56-5C turbofan engines. Following the A340-300 were the A340-500 and A340-600 models, each with increasing operational ranges. Both became longer range solutions with uprated engines (Rolls-Royce Trent 500 turbofans) and stretched fuselages - the A340-600 holding the longest length of the entire A340 family of four.

To date (March 2014), total production of A340 airframes has reached 377 units. Production spanned from 1993 into 2011 and the product remains in active service.

September 2017 - September 26th marked the first-flight of a specially-modified A340 with new laminar-flow, drag-reducing wings. The aircraft was built under the Clean Sky BLADE project banner.

Specifications

Service Year

1993

Origin

France

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

2

Production

377
UNITS

Airbus - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

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Algeria; Argentina; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Brunei; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Egypt; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Iran; Jordan; Kuwait; Libya; Luxembourg; Madagascar; Mauritius; Malaysia; Namibia; Nigeria; Norway; Pakistan; Philippines; Portugal; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Thailand; Turkey; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

Length

208.7 ft
(63.60 m)

Width/Span

197.8 ft
(60.30 m)

Height

55.3 ft
(16.85 m)

Empty Wgt

287,042 lb
(130,200 kg)

MTOW

609,578 lb
(276,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+322,536 lb
(+146,300 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Airbus A340-300 production variant)

Installed: 4 x CFM International CFM56-5C2 turbofan engines delivering 31,200lb of thrust each OR 4 x CFM-5C3 turbofan engines delivering 32,500lb of thrust each OR 4 x CFM56-5C4 turbofan engines delivering 34,000lb of thrust each.

Max Speed

569 mph
(915 kph | 494 kts)

Ceiling

40,994 ft
(12,495 m | 8 mi)

Range

13,307 mi
(21,416 km | 39,662 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Airbus A340-300 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database. View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

A330 - Two Engine Variant on which the A340 is based on.

A340 - Base Production Series Model Designation; long range, light traffic specialization; two aisles.

A340-200 - Shortened Fuselage; long range model.

A340-300 - Lengthened Fuselage; short range model.

A340-500 - Increased Range to 15,745km.

A340-600 - Increased Range to 13,890km.

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