Airbus A340-300
Airbus · International (Europe) · first flew 1991 · airliner
The A340-300 is a four-engine long-haul widebody, the best-selling member of the A340 family.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × turbofan, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Four underwing engines on a long, slim widebody |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Four underwing engines on a long, slim widebody
- Wing span almost identical to the twin-engine A330
- Extra twin-wheel centreline main gear unit under the fuselage
The four underwing engines are the instant identifier, set on a wing nearly as broad as the twin-engine A330. Note the long slim fuselage and the distinctive twin-wheel centreline gear leg that helps carry the heavy quadjet.
Specifications
- The Airbus A340-300 has a length of 63.7 m (209 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 60.3 m (198 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 913 km/h (567 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 pilots.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It first flew in October 1991 and entered service in 1993, powered by four CFM56 turbofans. Around 218 of the 377 A340s built were -300s. High fuel burn eventually made the quadjet uneconomic against modern twins.
Variants
The family ran from the shorter A340-200 through the baseline -300 to the stretched, longer-range A340-500 and A340-600 launched in 1997.
Where you'll see it
Virgin Atlantic operated ten A340-300s on transatlantic routes, retiring the last at Heathrow in April 2015, and also flew the larger A340-600 until 2020. British Airways concentrated its long-haul fleet on the 747 and 777 rather than the A340.
Related aircraft
- Airbus A330-300
- Airbus A321 CEO
- Beluga (A300-600ST)
- A319
- Bombardier CRJ100/200
- Canadair Regional Jet
- CRJ200
- Dornier 328
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