Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a four-engine, twin-aisle airliner family developed by Airbus for long-range passenger services. It was developed alongside the twin-engine Airbus A330, with which it shares its fuselage cross-section, much of its wing structure, flight deck and systems philosophy. Four principal variants were delivered: the A340-200, A340-300, A340-500 and A340-600.[1][2]
Development
Airbus launched the A330 and A340 together in June 1987. The combined programme offered airlines closely related twin- and four-engine aircraft rather than two independently developed types. Both used the established Airbus widebody fuselage cross-section, and the common flight-deck architecture extended Airbus's fly-by-wire and cockpit-commonality strategy from the A320 family to long-haul aircraft.[1][3]
The four-engine layout had an important route-planning advantage when the aircraft was designed. Contemporary extended-range twin-engine operations rules limited how far twin-engine aircraft could fly from a suitable diversion airport. The A340 was not subject to those twin-engine diversion-time limits, making it suitable for long over-water and polar routings using the rules then in force.[3]
The first A340-300 flew at Toulouse on 25 October 1991. European authorities certificated the A340-200 and A340-300 in December 1992, and the first aircraft were delivered to Lufthansa and Air France early in 1993. Both variants entered airline service in March 1993.[4][5][6]
Airbus launched the larger A340-500 and A340-600 in December 1997. These aircraft retained the family's basic cabin cross-section and cockpit philosophy but introduced a longer-span wing, Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, higher operating weights and substantially revised landing gear. The first A340-600 flew in April 2001 and entered service with Virgin Atlantic in August 2002. The A340-500 flew in February 2002; Airbus made its first deliveries in 2003 to Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.[5][7][8]
Increasing capability and regulatory acceptance of large twin-engine aircraft reduced the route-planning distinction that had favoured four engines, while fuel and maintenance costs became more important to operators. Airbus terminated the A340 programme in November 2011 and continued supporting the delivered fleet.[3][9]
Design
The A340 is a low-wing monoplane with a conventional tail, retractable tricycle landing gear and four underwing turbofan engines. All variants use the same nominal cabin cross-section as the A300, A310 and A330, normally accommodating eight-abreast economy seating with two aisles.[1][3]
Flight deck and systems
The two-pilot flight deck uses digital fly-by-wire flight controls and side-stick controllers. Its layout and handling philosophy were designed for commonality with the A330 and other fly-by-wire Airbus types. A shared type rating does not remove the need for variant differences training, operator procedures and current regulatory approval.[1][7]
The A330 and early A340 share the same basic wing planform. The A340 installation carries two engines under each wing, while the A330 has one larger engine on each side. Fuel is stored in wing and centre tanks, with additional tailplane fuel and an automated fuel-transfer system used to manage centre of gravity on applicable variants.[3][10]
Landing gear
In addition to the nose gear and two main wing gears, the A340 has a centre landing gear beneath the fuselage. The A340-200 and -300 use a two-wheel centre leg. The heavier A340-500 and -600 use a four-wheel centre bogie and revised main gear to distribute their greater weight. Airport compatibility should therefore be assessed using the planning document for the specific variant, not family-level dimensions alone.[10][11]
Engines
The A340-200 and A340-300 are powered by four CFM International CFM56-5C turbofans. Certified installations include several -5C sub-variants matched to aircraft model and weight standard. The A340-500 and A340-600 instead use four Rolls-Royce Trent 500-series engines. An engine suffix is part of the certified aircraft configuration and should not be inferred from the marketing variant alone.[2]
| Aircraft family | Certified aircraft models | Engine family |
| A340-200 | A340-211, -212, -213 | CFM56-5C |
| A340-300 | A340-311, -312, -313 | CFM56-5C |
| A340-500 | A340-541, -542 | Rolls-Royce Trent 500 |
| A340-600 | A340-642, -643 | Rolls-Royce Trent 500 |
Variants
A340-200
The A340-200 is the shortest member of the family. Its 59.4-metre fuselage is close in length to the A330-200, and its lower capacity was paired with long-range capability. Airbus's period planning data described a 239-seat three-class layout and a maximum range of about 14,800 kilometres, although airline layouts and certified weights varied. Twenty-eight were delivered.[3][12]
A340-300
The A340-300 was the principal original-production variant and the first to fly. It has a 63.7-metre fuselage and was described in period Airbus data with 295 seats in three classes. Later weight and engine improvements produced a number of enhanced standards without changing the basic A340-300 marketing designation. Airbus delivered 218, making it the most numerous variant.[3][12]
A340-500
The A340-500 is an ultra-long-range development with a 67.9-metre fuselage, a 63.45-metre wingspan, Trent 500 engines and greater fuel capacity than the earlier variants. Its range enabled new non-stop city pairs: Singapore Airlines used the type to inaugurate Singapore–Los Angeles service in February 2004 and Singapore–Newark in June 2004, then record-setting scheduled routes.[11][13]
Airbus delivered 34 A340-500s. Cabin density varied particularly widely because several operators used low-density premium layouts for very long sectors, while other aircraft served government, corporate or conventional airline missions.[12]
A340-600
The A340-600 is the longest and highest-capacity member of the family. Its 75.3-metre fuselage provided substantially more passenger and lower-deck cargo volume than the A340-300. The type entered service with Virgin Atlantic in August 2002. Airbus delivered 97.[3][7][12]
The -600's length requires particular attention during ground manoeuvring. Its wheelbase, turning geometry and tail clearance differ materially from those of the earlier A340s; airport and operator procedures use variant-specific ground-manoeuvring data.[11]
Specifications
The following values are manufacturer planning figures. Seating is a representative historical three-class layout rather than a certification maximum, and published range depends on payload, weight standard, reserves and operating assumptions.[3][10][11]
| Characteristic | A340-200 | A340-300 | A340-500 | A340-600 |
| Length | 59.4 m | 63.7 m | 67.9 m | 75.3 m |
| Wingspan | 60.3 m | 60.3 m | 63.45 m | 63.45 m |
| Representative three-class seating | 239 | 295 | 313 | 380 |
| Historical published range | 14,800 km | 13,500 km | 15,750 km | 13,900 km |
| Engine family | CFM56-5C | CFM56-5C | Trent 500 | Trent 500 |
| Delivered | 28 | 218 | 34 | 97 |
Exact operating weights and performance differ by certified model, modification standard and engine installation. The current EASA Type Certificate Data Sheet is the controlling reference for approved models and limitations; Airbus aircraft-characteristics documents are intended for airport and ground-planning use.[2][14]
Production and deliveries
Airbus delivered 377 A340s: 28 A340-200s, 218 A340-300s, 34 A340-500s and 97 A340-600s. The first deliveries occurred in 1993, and the final two A340-500 deliveries were recorded in 2012 after Airbus had ended active programme marketing. The family total is fixed because there is no outstanding order backlog.[12]
Airbus's July 2026 orders-and-deliveries summary records 377 orders, 377 deliveries and 137 aircraft in its “aircraft in fleet” category. That last figure is Airbus's own reporting metric and should not be treated as an independently verified count of aircraft operating scheduled passenger flights on a particular day.[12]
The 377 deliveries are airframes supplied to customers, not the number of prototypes or test airframes ever assembled. Production-list records should distinguish manufacturer serial number, test registration, customer delivery, later registration changes and current status rather than using delivery totals as a substitute for an airframe ledger.
Operational use
The early A340 became a principal long-haul type for airlines including Lufthansa, Air France, Iberia, Swissair and Virgin Atlantic. The -200's smaller fleet often served low-density long-range routes, while the larger -300 formed the numerical core of the programme. The -500 was specialised for ultra-long-range missions, and the -600 combined passenger capacity with substantial lower-deck cargo volume.[6][13][8]
As newer long-range twins entered service, many airlines retired their A340s because four engines generally require more engine maintenance and fuel than a comparable twin. Some aircraft moved to secondary airline, charter, government and conversion roles. A dated fleet source is necessary for any statement about a particular airframe's present operator or status; an old delivery record does not establish that it remains active.
Airbus continues to publish airport-planning data and EASA continues to maintain the type certificate. Issue 28 of EASA.A.015, dated 15 January 2026, lists all ten certified A340 models across the four marketing variants.[2][14]
Related pages
Sources
EASA Type Certificate Data Sheet EASA.A.015 — European Union Aviation Safety Agency
Airbus aircraft characteristics — Airbus
Airbus orders and deliveries — Airbus
EADS reference document 2000 — Airbus/EADS