A340 performance specs series#

A340-600, 380 passengers in three classes to a range of 7,550 nautical miles.

A340-300, 335 passengers in two classes to 7,150 nautical miles.

A340-200 can carry 303 passengers in two classes to a range of 7,600 nautical miles.

A330-300 can carry 300 passengers in two classes to a range of 6,350 nautical miles.

A340-500 can carry 293 passengers in three classes to a range of 9,000 nautical miles.

A330-200 can carry 246 passengers in two classes to a range of 7,250 nautical miles.

This similarity in capacity and range is apparent if you consider the A330 and A340 family together (listed by increased typical capacity): Simple Flying took a more in-depth look at the differences between the two aircraft previously.

A340 performance specs series#

But there are variants of each series that come close. The A340 does have higher capacity variants (the A340-500 and -600) than the A330, and also offers a greater range. This middle landing gear is unusual most heavy aircraft use two gears with increased wheels to cope with the extra load. The A340 also has a larger wing and an additional middle rear landing gear. The main differences between the A330 and A340 are, of course, in the two or four-engine setup. And the fly-by-wire controls and cockpit are inherited from the A320. The fuselage of the A330/A340 is based on a stretched A300 fuselage. This, of course, saved money in the development and brought the aircraft to market faster than if they were designed separately.ДЄirbus also made further savings by using designs from the A300 and A320.

They shared the same basic fuselage and wing design, and many structural components and systems, as well as a common flight deck. Photo: Getty ImagesДeveloping the two aircraft together brought many advantages. вЂњAirbus Industrie is now in a position to finalize the detailed technical definition of the TA9, which is now officially designated the A330, and the TA11, now called the A340, with potential launch customer airlines, and to discuss with them the terms and conditions for launch commitments.вЂќ The A330 and A340 were developed together. Airbus board-chairmanВ Franz Josef StrauГџ said at the time: In 1986, the development project moved forward and became the A330 and A340. And the TA11, four-engine, would have a range up to 12,650 kilometers (6,830 nautical miles).The TA9, twin-engine, would have a range of 6,100 kilometers (3,300 nautical miles).The resulting project looked at the development of two aircraft: This would meet the needs of both sets of customers, and there would be savings by developing both aircraft together. The solution was to develop two aircraft: a twinjet, and a quadjet. In Europe, opinion was split between the twoвЂ¦The majority of potential customers were in favor of a quad despite the fact, in certain conditions, it is more costly to operate than a twin -they liked that it could be ferried with one engine out, and could вЂfly anywhereвЂ™ вЂ“ remember ETOPS hadnвЂ™t begun then.вЂќ вЂњThere was much internal debate whether to go with the big twin or the quadвЂ¦ North American operators were clearly in favor of a twin, while the Asians wanted a quad. Again, there was an opportunity to compete with Boeing in this area, especially with the 747 starting to sell well. With the A320 project launched, and on the way to delivery, Airbus started to look at the market for larger, widebody aircraft. Airbus eventually won and went on to develop the A320 family. European governments realized this and worked with manufacturers on several proposals for a new, European constructed, competitor. There was a gap in the market here, with the US manufactured Boeing 737 dominating and no European alternative. Photo: AirbusДЇollowing initial success with this, Airbus went on in the early 1980s to create a new twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft. Air France was the launch customer for the A330 in May 1974. It was a twin-engine, twin-aisle aircraft, with a shortened variant, the A310. The A300 was AirbusвЂ™ first aircraft, in 1972. The story of the A340 starts with the A300 and A320. A340 orders and deliveries, and leading operatorsДevelopment of the A340 Airbus and the A300 project.Production, testing, and entry into service.