Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a large four-engined widebody airliner intended for long-haul passenger traffic. Airbus started development of the aircraft in June 1987 together with the twin-engined A330, which is - apart from the engines - an almost identical aircraft. The A330 and A340 share the same wing, the same cockpit (derived from the A320) and many systems. Both types are built on the same final assembly line in Toulouse.
The A340 was first designated as A300B11 and later as TA11 (Twin Aisle) as a future aircraft using the basic fuselage of the A300. The A300B9, later TA9 became the A330. The A340 was developed as a four-engined aircraft with in mind the unlimited ability to fly long over-water sectors. Safety regulations in the 1980s demanded that twin-engined airliners stayed within 60 minutes flying time of a diversion airport. Such a rule didn't exist for three- and four-engined aircraft like the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Lockheed TriStar and Boeing 747.
During the development process Airbus considered to fit the A340 with IAE superfan engines, with a very large diameter fan, a kind of propfan, but after IAE cancelled the development of this engine Airbus chose the CFM International CFM56-5C4 as power source.
Airbus initially introduced two main versions of the A340: the A340-200 and A340-300. The first to fly on 25 October 1991 was the A340-300, which entered service with Lufthansa and Air France in March 1993. The A340-200, first flown on April 1 1992, has a shorter fuselage but offers increased range. Airbus hardly sold the A340-200, however. Only 28 examples were built.
Sub-versions of the early A340 models are the A340-300X with higher weights, first delivered to Singapore Airlines in 1996, and the A340-300E (Enhanced), also with higher weights but also a more powerful version of the CFM56 and improved avionics. The A340-8000 is a variant of the A340-200 with extra fuel capacity and heavier weights. Only one A340-8000 was built. It was ordered by the Sultan of Brunei but it didn't enter service and was parked idle at Hamburg for many years. In early 2007 the aircraft was taken over by a Saudi Arabian VIP-aircraft operator.
 In 1997 Airbus started the development of the A340-500 and A340-600 with longer fuselages and Rolls-Royce Trent engines. The A340-500's first flight was on February 11 2002 and the first user was Emirates. The A340-500 was the world's longest-range airliner until Boeing's introduction of the 777-200LR 'Worldliner'. The A340-500 has a 3,30 meter longer fuselage than the A340-300 and the A340-600 incorporates a stretch of more than 10 meter compared to the -300. The aircraft is even longer than the Boeing 747. The A340-600 flew for the first time on 23 April 2001 and was introduced by Virgin Atlantic Airways in August 2002.
The A340 is not Airbus's biggest sales success. About 250 were ordered of the A340-200 and -300 versions and around 150 of the -500 and -600. The reason for these disappointing sales is that airlines preferred more economical long-range twins like the Boeing 777 as soon as these were allowed to fly long over-water sectors thanks to improving engine reliability.
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Airbus A340-300 - Specifications
Wingspan: 60.3 m (197ft 10in). Length: 63.6 m (208 ft 10in). Height: 16.85 m (55ft 3in).
Empty weight: 130,200 kg (287,000 lb). Max. take-off weight: 276,500 kg (609,600 lb).
Accommodation: 295-440 passengers.
Range: 13,700 km (7,400 nm). Max. cruise speed: Mach 0.86.
Engines: CFM International CFM56-5C4/P (139 - 151 kN / 31,200 - 34,000 lb).
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Airbus A340-600 - Specifications
Wingspan: 63.45 m (208ft 2in). Length: 75.3 m (247ft 1in). Height: 17.29 m (56ft 9in).
Empty weight: 181,900 kg (400,900 lb). Max. take-off weight: 380,000 kg (837,800 lb).
Accommodation: 380-440 passengers.
Range: 14,600 km (7,900 nm). Max. cruise speed: Mach 0.86.
Engines: Rolls-Royce Trent 556 (267 kN / 60,000 lb).
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