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Airbus A340

1993 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of the Airbus A340

The Airbus A340 family has been designed and developed alongside the similar A330 family. In this regard, the two systems will continue to share commonalities in design and internal components, with the main visual difference being the number of engines (the A340 has four engines and the A330 has a two-engine configuration).

The A340 is also unique in the operational market, designed as a long-haul wide-body aircraft for low-traffic markets.

The Airbus A340, designed in 1987, was introduced by Lufthansa in 1993. Its interior layout uses two aisles between the passenger seats. The original A340-200 series were long-range models with shorter fuselage. Introduced in 1996, the A340-300 was used for short-haul flights with its extended fuselage.

Both are powered by 2 x CFM International CFM56-5C turbofan engines. The A340-300 was followed by the A340-500 and A340-600, all of which increased their range.

Both are long-haul solutions with upgraded engines (Rolls-Royce Trent 500 turbofans) and a lengthened fuselage - the A340-600 maintains the longest length of the entire four-member A340 family.

Total production of A340 airframes to date (March 2014) has reached 377. The production time span was from 1993 to 2011, and the product is still in use.

September 2017 - September 26 marked the maiden flight of the specially modified A340 with new laminar flow wings to reduce drag. The aircraft was built under the banner of the Clean Sky BLADE project.

Specification

Basic

Year:

1993

Status:

active, on duty

Staff:

Production

[377 units]:

Airbus - France

Roles

- Commercial Market

Dimensions

Length:

208.66 ft (63.6 m)

Width:

197.83 ft (60.3 m)

Height:

55.28 ft (16.85 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

130,200 kg

MTOW:

609,578 lb (276,500 kg)

(Difference: +322.536lb)

Performance

4 CFM International CFM56-5C2 turbofans, each rated at 31,200 pounds of thrust, or 4 CFM-5C3 turbofans, each rated at 32,500 pounds of thrust, or 4 CFM56-5C4 turbofans, Each is rated at 34,000 pounds of thrust.