Airbus A340 Orders and Deliveries

A340 Launch

The first Airbus A340 four-engined, long-range, wide-bodied passenger transports were placed into service by Lufthansa and Air France in March of 1993.

The A340 aircraft was seen as the answer to long-range flights

A340 aircraft was seen as the answer to long-range flights in the future as the older DC8 and Boeing 707 had all but disappeared from the skies. A sleek looking airliner, it set some records which stood for many years as discussed in our History page.

The Airbus adage of 4 Engines 4 Long Haul was aimed at the upcoming twin jets like the Boeing 777 which were still seeking ETOPS certification to be able to fly their twin jets on long over-water routes. There were 4 variants of the A340 with the main difference being fuselage length but there was also extended range specs added to the later A340 500 and A340 600.

The A340 300 was the most popular version sold making up 58 per cent of all A340s sold. The advent of the fuel price hikes in 2008 ensured that the A340 was doomed to fail. Fortunately for Airbus, the A340 and the A330 shared many common designs such as fuselage and wings. So where the A340 was deemed a failure for Airbus the A330 has been a huge success and continues to make good money for Airbus.

Kuwait Airways A340 300 on approach to land.

Airbus A340 Launch Customers

On 02 February 1993, Lufthansa became the launch customer for the Airbus A340 200. The aircraft entered service on 15 March 1993.	On 26 February 1993, Air France as the launch customer for the Airbus A340 300 took delivery of their first aircraft. The aircraft entered service in March
In November 2003 the Airbus A340 500 entered service with Emirates who became the default launch customer after Air Canada filed for bankruptcy.	On 22 July 2002 Virgin Atlantic as the launch customer took delivery of their first A340 600. At a ceremony at Heathrow, it was named ~~Cloud~~ Claudia Nine after Claudia Shiffer.

On 10 November 2011, Airbus having fulfilled all Airbus A340 orders announced that was ceasing production of this aircraft. Almost 19 years of production were at an end. The age of the super-sized twin jets has superseded the 4 engined jets other than the A380 Super Jumbo and the Boeing 747 8 Intercontinental. The A340 is succeeded in the Airbus fleet by the A330 and the A350 which look to take Airbus well into the future. It is interesting to note in the table below how second-hand A340s are still being picked up by smaller airlines, so as they disappear from mainstream airline stables they start turning up somewhere else.

Orders and Deliveries of the Airbus A340.

A340 Summary as of June 2020.

	Airbus A340
Total Orders	377
Total Deliveries	377
Aircraft in Operation	228
Number of Operators	48
Number of Customers	48

Airbus A340s Orders and Deliveries by type.

Breakdown by aircraft	Airbus A340 200/300	Airbus A340 500/600
Orders	246	131
Deliveries	246	131
In Operation	124	104