For most of its three decades in flight, the Airbus A340-600 was considered a commercial failure – an unprofitable plane that was improved by competitors soon after its launch. Its four engines were thirsty, its record length required special runway clearance, and its original design gave it a reputation for eyebrow-raising in-flight activities.
But you wouldn’t know that, based on the fanatical reception, one of the few remaining A340-600s received its arrival this month at Washington-Dulles International Airport for a flight that would mark the end of German carrier Lufthansa’s relationship with the plane.
As the 17-year-old airliner, registered D-AIHW, headed toward the gate in front of architect Eero Saarinen’s famous jet-era Dulles terminal and control tower, a crowd of aviation enthusiasts rushed to the windows before joining the crew for a photo with banners marking the occasion.
“It’s very sad,” said Chris Godenschwege, who traveled from Berlin to Washington on the final flight to the German city of Frankfurt. “It’s a powerful looking plane.”
Timothy Raemann, of Stuttgart, Germany, was among six friends, all dressed in homemade “4 Engines 4 Long Haul” T-shirts, also in Dulles to board the final flight Oct. 18 and deliver a cake to the crew. “Four engines for long hauls is always nice,” he said.
It’s not unusual for a modern airliner to have an AvGeek cult following, but the A340-600 is perhaps unusual in that it is a popular jet that has failed to meet commercial aspirations. Even the A380 superjumbo that followed enjoyed a brief period of glory before falling out of favor.
Behind this popularity lie several fascinating engineering features.
When it debuted in August 2002, the A340-600’s 247-foot-long fuselage made it the world’s longest commercial passenger jet — a title it ceded eight years later when Boeing introduced the five-foot-longer 747-8 Intercontinental. The operation of an aircraft of such large dimensions required special dispensations.
The airliner was to be equipped with an airplane’s equivalent of rear-view cameras so pilots could see their surroundings while maneuvering on the tarmac. When visiting airports, it also required an additional administrative layer to ensure taxiways and runways could handle its oversized proportions.
Its unusual specifications were such that during its autumn years, when fewer and fewer planes were plying the skies, Lufthansa’s A340-600s often had to fly with their own tow bars on board in case the destination airport did not have a compatible one.
But its elongated appearance, featuring four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines and a wider wingspan, was much admired.
What was unusual for a commercial airliner was the eccentricity of the interior design which gave the plane a downstairs lavatory carved into the below-deck space usually reserved for cargo. While this freed up space in the main cabin for more seating, for some riskier travelers it also created an opportunity at the Mile High Club.
“The A340-600 is truly a special aircraft,” Francesco Sciortino, captain of the latest flight and member of the Lufthansa Group board of directors, said in an interview before takeoff. “In its day, it was the longest aircraft in the world. We flew it for 23 years, serving more than 40 million passengers worldwide.”
But while fans and crews loved the A340-600, the airline industry was more pragmatic in its response.
Airbus launched the A340-600 because its customers demanded a large, long-range aircraft. Airlines from China Eastern to Iberia, South African Airways and Virgin Atlantic agreed, ordering dozens of new stretched A340s. Virgin Atlantic operated the first revenue flight in 2002.
“We see the A340-600 as the ‘classic’ replacement for the 747 and an alternative to the 747-400 more than a competitor to the 777X,” Alan Pardoe, A330 and A340 product manager at Airbus, told trade magazine Aviation Week in 2000.
But it has never been a big seller – the global fleet peaked at just 95 aircraft in 2009, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium – and is widely seen as a commercial disappointment.
When Airbus launched the A340-600, then-CEO Noël Forgeard predicted that “passengers prefer” the four-engine configuration. However, airlines did not do this, and it proved to be a losing bet as markets evolved.
The advent of the A340-600 coincided with the arrival of Boeing’s stretched 777-300 and longer-range 777-300ER – the “777X” to which Pardoe was referring.
These models, with a seat capacity comparable to that of the stretched A340, met airlines’ desire for a large jet capable of intercontinental travel, powered by a more economical twin-engine configuration. Boeing then sold hundreds of stretched 777s, making the plane a best-seller for the American manufacturer.
The relatively few A340-600s that have taken off have become increasingly rare in recent years. China Eastern flew its last A340-600 in 2015. Iberia and Virgin Atlantic followed in 2020, while the South African planes held on until 2021.
Mixed fortunes aside, the A340-600, or at least its wider family of aircraft models, is credited with a legacy that has helped forge a strong future for its European manufacturer.
“Despite its flaws, the A340 was essential to Airbus’s development into a global player,” Pierre Sparaco, former Paris bureau chief of Aviation Week, wrote in a commentary in 2011. The plane, while not a commercial success, laid the groundwork for the double-decker A380, a favorite of travelers since it entered service in 2007.
Fans of the A340-600 can still find some of them crisscrossing the skies. The Venezuelan company Conviasa and the Iranian company Mahan Air still operate several planes, according to Cirium data. And Lufthansa’s latest four models, although immediately sent to storage in Düsseldorf, could end up in the hands of a charter airline before being sent to scrap.
Lufthansa will replace its A340-600s with the Airbus A350-1000, the first of which is expected in December, and with Boeing’s long-delayed 777-9 sometime in 2027. The two new planes are not only significantly more fuel efficient, but also feature the latest comforts for travelers, including Lufthansa’s new Allegris first, business, premium economy and economy seat suite.
The same change is slowly happening to the A380 and the remaining 747s. Twin-engine aircraft perform as well, if not more, than four-engine types with significantly lower operating costs. This is important for airline managers in good times and especially today, when jet fuel prices exceed $4 a gallon.
“The future is twin-engine aircraft,” Sciortino said.
Even so, a small but mighty cohort of travelers will miss the A340s when they’re gone.
“It’s very emotional,” said Bryn Jennings, an AvGeek who came from the United Kingdom on the last flight, while waiting to board in Washington. “Being able to be on the last flight is a privilege. »
Like Raemann and his friends, he wore his own A340-600 farewell T-shirt.
“To you, the A340-600, thank you for these 23 wonderful years,” Sciortino said in his final remarks before the final flight landed in Frankfurt.
Auf Wiedersehen.
Gn bussni
