Summary The Airbus A340-300 was the most popular variant of the series, with 218 deliveries, but only 34 remain active. The A340 comes in 4 variants, including the A340-200 and A340-600 for higher capacity and range upgrades. European carriers have the most active A340s, with Lufthansa operating the largest fleet of 13 A340-300s.
The Airbus A340-300 was the most successful variant of the European planemaker's single-decker quadjet, with the company's data showing that it accounted for 218 of the family's 377 deliveries. According to ch-aviation , just 34 examples of the A340-300 remain active as of November 2024. There are several more in maintenance or storage that could return to service.
These aircraft are spread across an interesting range of carriers - we consider them all by region in this article. Quick Links The Airbus A340 and its variants Africa - two operators Middle East - six operators Europe - four operators and the largest fleets South America - none currently active The Airbus A340 and its variants After the A300 and A320 developments, Airbus began to look at the market for a new widebody aircraft. In the 1980s, twin-engine operations were much more limited than today, and customers were divided over wanting a twin-engine or a four-engine (quadjet) widebody.
The solution was to develop two aircraft: a twinjet, and a quadjet. This would meet the needs of both sets of customers, and there would be savings by developing both aircraft together. Read more about the.
