Spotlight
The A340 strikes back
The A340 may be the veteran member of the Airbus widebody Family, but it certainly still has a very promising future ahead.
Since its entry into service in 1993, the A340 has been flying some of the world’s most challenging routes while providing excellent comfort. Powered by four engines, the A340 allows operators to fly over-water routes without the limitations that apply to twin-engine aircraft – the A340 does not require ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards), for example – and its excellent take-off performance is very advantageous when operating in and out of hot and high airports.
There are four variants in Airbus’ A340 Family: the A340-200, the shortest-fuselage member optimized to cover long, direct routes; the A340-300, a mid-size airliner for medium-haul routes; the A340-500, the ultra-long range aircraft with superior comfort and the A340-600 with one of the longest fuselages in the skies. The A340 Family is controlled by digital fly-by-wire technology, it accommodates 250 to 475 passengers and carries up to 25 tons of cargo, while providing a range of up to 9,000 nautical miles. Since its inception, the A340 has carried over 600 million passengers flying as long as 16 hours a day.
Though the last of the 377 A340s produced was delivered in 2010, it was not the end of days for this aircraft. Since then, the aircraft has been very active in the second-hand market, with 235 transactions in the last three years and new operators emerging all over the world. In the Latin America and Caribbean region alone, Surinam Airways decided to replace their A340-300 for a newer A340-300 and Avior, a charter airline based in Venezuela, recently announced that they will be operating two A340-300 in the near future. These two airlines will be able to perform transatlantic flights without the need to be ETOPS certified.
It is an exceptional aircraft for operators to serve long-haul routes economically while taking advantage of very competitive market lease rates and very low fuel cost with today’s oil prices. Additionally, if these airlines choose to operate the A330 in the future, they can benefit from the great commonality between the A330 and the A340 Families and shorten the time to obtain ETOPS certification, as some training can be performed in their A340s.
For more information:
Ismael Gomez Martin
Senior Marketing Analyst, Latin America & Caribbean
Ismael.gomez-martin@airbus.com