Air Mauritius Airbus A340-313, Registration 3B-NBD

The four-engine, wide-bodied Airbus A340 was assembled at Toulouse, France. It is similar in concept and design to the twin-engine Airbus A330.

Launch customers were Lufthansa and Air France, which placed the A340 into service in March of 1993. Lufthansa has been the biggest operator of the A340, with 59 A340s in its fleet at peak deployment.

A total of 377 A340s were produced between 1991 and 2011; it is currently out of production, but remains in active service with several airlines.

Four models were produced:

Model	Length	Passengers	Delivered
A340-200	194.85 ft	261 - 303	28
A340-300	208.96 ft	277 - 335	218
A340-500	222.87 ft	293 - 313	34
A340-600	247.24 ft	326 - 380	97
TOTAL			377

The most common model was the A340-300, with 218 aircraft delivered.

The A340 is used on long-haul, trans-oceanic routes due to its immunity from ETOPS restrictions. However, as the reliability and fuel efficiency in engines have improved, airlines have gradually phased out the A340 in favor of the more economical Boeing 777 twinjet. Airbus has positioned the larger variants of the Airbus A350 as a successor.

Airbus A340 Spotting Tips

If a 4-engine airliner has two engines under each wing, it must be a Boeing 747, Airbus A380 or Airbus A340. Identifying the 747 and A380 is easy for many spotters, leaving the A340 an obvious spot.

 

The 4-engine, wide body Airbus A340 family aircraft showing landing gear configurations. All passengers are housed on a single deck.

Door Configuration

• A340-200/300/500 - three full-size passenger boarding doors on each side of the fuselage, plus an emergency exit door to the rear of the wing.

• A340-600 - four full-size Type A passenger boarding doors on each side, plus a single Type III emergency exit door over each wing.

Shown below is an illustration of the Airbus A340-600 showing the configuration of its passenger doors and emergency exits

Wheel Configuration

The A340 features a two-wheel front landing gear, and two four-wheel assemblies under the wings.

The A340-200/300 models have two additional wheels under the fuselage, while the A340-500/600 models have an additional four wheels under the fuselage.

View of the undercarriage of an Airbus A340-600 of Virgin Atlantic

Airbus A340 Photographs

Airbus A340-211, Registration A7-HHK, of Qatar Airways

Lufthansa Airbus A340-313X, Registration D-AIGL (Photo courtesy of the DFW Airport)

Airbus A340-500 of Ethiad Airways

Cathay Pacific A340-600

Airbus A340 and A330 Side-by-Side

Shown below is a side-by-side comparison of the 4-engine Airbus A340 (bottom) and the 2-engine A330 (top)

 

More Airbus A-340 Photos

Airbus A340-313 CS-TQY (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Airbus A340 F-RAJB of the French Air Force (Photos by DELEHELLE Eric)

Airbus A340 of Swiss Air, Registration HB-JMI (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Airbus A340 of Swiss Air, Registration HB-JMI (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

Airbus A340-300 of Hellenic Impérial Airways (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

 

Airbus A340 of Air France Landing at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten ... One of our favorite airports!

 

Airbus A340 Airliners Parked at Storage Facilities in the Deserts of the Western United States

Airbus A340-300, registration EC-KOU, in Iberia Airline livery in storage at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport (Staff photo)

Commercial airliners have limited lifespans, even the huge Airbus A340. Ultimately, they must be retired from service, stored in "airplane boneyards" or graveyards, and finally dismantled and scrapped.

Jetliners eventually reach end-of-life due to airframe wear and/or obsolescence. Some jetliners are temporarily taken off flying status, and must be stored in a environment that is conducive to preservation. Others are kept for spare parts for flying aircraft.

Also available is information on airliner boneyards in Europe, the UK, Australia, Russia and other locations around the world.

... and view photos of commercial airliner boneyards at www.AirplaneBoneyards.com

Surinam Airways Airbus A340-300, registration PZ-TCP, at the Pinal Airpark in Arizona (Staff Photo, May 2017) View similar photos at AirplaneBoneyards.com