The Airbus A340 is largely a story of bad timing. Designed and built to compete against the Boeing
747, this four-engined single-deck aircraft was just a decade or so too late due to advancements
in engine power and reliability allowing for two-engined jets. Evolving regulations
known as ETOPS allowed twin-engine aircraft to fly routes once exclusive to quad-jets.
Despite Airbus joining the quote “very large aircraft” market a little too late, it managed
to secure orders for a few hundred A340s. With deliveries beginning in 1993 and ending in 2012,
this year marks 10 years since the last pair of A340s were sold off and delivered to a customer.
Even with so much time having passed and much more efficient jets coming to market, there are nearly
80 Airbus A340s still listed as active at the time of making this video. So today, let’s examine the
largest operators of the type at the moment, and where you’re most likely to find the Airbus A340…
According to Planespotters.net, there are 79 A340s listed as active with another 35
or so quad-jets listed as parked and another 87 or so listed as stored.
Given the status of this aircraft type as old and inefficient, it’s questionable if the jets
listed stored will indeed ever return to service again. While perhaps a handful of stored Lufthansa
A340-600s maybe eventually be re-activated, it’s unlikely that the three SAS A340-300s
will ever fly out of their current home at the Marana storage site in Arizona.
Those listed as parked have a much better chance of flying again, but
there is always the possibility that these will eventually have their status changed to stored.
Azal Azerbaijan Airlines is one example of an airline that has been on the fence
with the fate of its A340s. While it does have a single A340-600 actively flying VIP
government services at the moment, the carrier was set to end A340-500 operations in mid-2021.
However, it brought these back later in the year.
While the pair of aircraft are parked at the moment, with no passenger services scheduled
for the remainder of 2022, there’s always the possibility that Azerbaijan Airlines brings one
or both of the aircraft back as unplanned substitutions.
We mention all of this to make it clear that there could be
more A340s flying in the future - but it’s an unlikely prospect,
at least for the majority of owners who have decided to park or store their quad jets.
So which airlines are you most likely to secure a flight on an Airbus A340 these days?
Well, unfortunately, it’s not a very long list.
In terms of passenger airlines, we have the following operators:
German carrier Lufthansa has the largest active fleet of A340s with 19. These break down to 15
-300s and four -600s. Another eight quadjets are parked and are also a mix of -300s and -600s.
In early March, the airline welcomed the Airbus -600 back to active operations. The
plan is for a total of five -600s to gradually return to service,
providing additional capacity for the airline over the coming months.
Sent to storage at the start of the pandemic, the -600s were brought back to service to offer more
first class seats - a cabin which is absent in some of its other long haul fleet.
As we mentioned in our Lufthansa fleet video,
this temporary move will come to an end when the airline takes delivery of A350-900s
equipped with a first-class cabin. The first of these is due to be delivered in July 2023.
Lufthansa plans to operate a one-in-one-out policy,
meaning that each time an Airbus A350-900 with first class arrives, an A340-600 will be retired.
Commenting on the re-activation in late 2021, an airline spokesperson
said that five -600s would be reactivated for the summer flight schedule for Munich.
Meanwhile, fellow Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss International Airlines
(better known as just Swiss), has five active A340-300s.
At the same time, another Lufthansa Group member,
leisure-focused carrier Edelweiss Air, is actively operating four A340-300s.
Spanish long-haul airline Plus Ultra has two -300s and one -600.
Out of their hub in Madrid, the -300s fly fairly regularly to Lima and Caracas
while the -600 had been mostly operating between Marid and Chengdu in recent months.
Outside of Europe, Iran seems to be the second-best place to get a ride on the A340.
The country’s Mahan Air is listed as having seven active A340s, a mix of -300s and
-600s. Another Iranian airline, Iran Aseman Airlines, has a single A340-300 in service,
flying regularly between Tehran and Istanbul.
Next door in Afghanistan, Kam Air operates
three A340-300s. These fly regular services out of Kabul to cities like Dubai in the UAE
and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Syrian Air’s one active A340-300, registered YK-AZA,
operates routine service from Damascus to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Cairo.
Over in South America, Venezuela’s Conviasa apparently has four active A340s: One -200,
one -300, and two -600s.
Bucking the trend of A340 retirements, Conviasa received its A340-600 in late
March. Registered YV3533, this jet is the first of three it will get in 2022. Indeed,
the airline will take delivery of another Airbus A340-600 and an A340-500 in the next months!
And finally, in Africa, we have two operators.
First there’s Nigeria’s Azman Air, which has a single ex-Virgin Atlantic A340-600, registered
5N-AAM. This operates between the Nigerian city of Kano to Jeddah and is fitted with an incredibly
unique and possibly awkward pair of business class seats situated in front of 411 economy seats.
Down south, South African Airways has a single -300 which it flies regularly between
Johannesburg and Lagos. The aircraft, registered ZS-SXF,
occasionally flies out of Cape Town as well and periodically serves the Ghanian capital of Accra.
The remaining active A340s mostly fall in to two categories:
VIP government transports, or wet-lease services.
When it comes to governments using the A340 as presidential or VIP transports,
we have the previously mentioned Azerbaijan, but also several governments in the Middle East.
These include Qatar, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, and Turkey. In North Africa, the
government of Algeria has an A340-500 while the Kingdom of Eswatini has a single -300. The Royal
Thai Air Force has an active -500 while the German Air Force also operates a pair of A340-300s.
The Government of Egypt might be one operator that could soon retire its single A340-200.
That’s because it has acquired a Lufthansa-ordered Boeing 747-8i, which is now registered SU-EGY.
The aircraft had previously been sitting in storage in the Californian desert until it
found its new owner. At present, the double-decker is in Hamburg,
likely at Lufthansa Technik getting its new VIP interior installed.
Lufthansa Technik highlights that its services offer more than just creating a beautiful cabin.
The firm states the following about its VIP cabin services:
“We are able to conceptualize interiors for all international styles,
always employing the finest luxury components and materials. From clean government style to rich
baroque or cool Asian – our team of designers and engineers is ready to show endless possibilities.”
Well, it certainly sounds like a big step up from a 28-year-old A340-200!
Even if the never-used 747-8 is now over 11 years of age!
And for leases, there’s one notable arrangement this summer. Air Senegal will
be increasing its service from Dakar to Paris on certain weeks between June and September.
The airline has been wet leasing 9H-ZMK, a 17-year-old A340-300
which comes from Malta's Airhub Aviation. It will eventually change this to a different A340-300,
one operated by Hi Fly Malta registered 9H-SZN.
From the looks of it, the Airbus A340 may be out of production
but it is far from extinction. However, unless you’re a head of state or other government VIP,
there aren’t too many places you’ll be able to step onboard one of these aircraft.
Depending on your nationality, those from the western world will
find their best chances with Lufthansa, Swiss, or Edelweiss. On the other hand,
those in the Middle East certainly have a few options with quite a few airlines as well.
It’s quite interesting to observe that there are more A340 operators out there than those
flying Airbus’ other quadjet, the A380. Indeed, if sanctions against certain countries persist,
perhaps it’s possible that the A340 will outlive the A380 in terms of active
commercial service. The A380, after all, is much more costly to operate and isn’t
able to access as many airports as its older but smaller sibling…
we’ll just have to wait 20 more years to see how the numbers change!
Have you ever flown on an Airbus A340? And do you think there’s any possibility
that it could outlast the A380? Share your experiences and opinions by leaving a comment!