Airbus A340-300

The Airbus A340-300 at a glance

The Airbus A340-300 is a four-engine, long-range widebody airliner. It made its first flight on 25 October 1991 and was delivered to Air France on 26 February 1993.

Airbus delivered 218 A340-300s out of 377 A340s of all types. The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page, so this article explains what the numbers mean and how the jet’s story played out.

How the A340-300 was developed

Airbus designed the A340 alongside the twin-engine A330. The two share a fuselage cross-section, fly-by-wire controls and a very similar glass cockpit, and the early A340 wing is virtually identical to the A330’s.

European certification came on 22 December 1992 and FAA approval followed on 27 May 1993. The shorter A340-200 entered service with Lufthansa on 15 March 1993, but only 28 were delivered. The longer A340-300 became the bestseller of the pair.

What engines does the A340-300 use?

The A340-200 and A340-300 use four CFM56-5C turbofans. This is a larger relative of the CFM56 that powers the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family.

The later A340-500 and A340-600 switched to Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines. The A340-300 Enhanced, first delivered to South African Airways in 2003, carries upgraded CFM56-5C4/P engines plus improved avionics.

Explaining the numbers

The A340-300 cruises at about Mach 0.82, and its maximum operating speed is Mach 0.86. These figures apply across the early A340 family.

Published range and weight figures vary because Airbus offered the A340-300 at several maximum takeoff weights. A heavier variant trades extra fuel and payload for a higher takeoff weight, which is why sources quote different ranges and weights for the same type.

Seating varies by airline. Sources put a typical layout at 250 to 290 seats, and some airlines pack in more.

What is the difference between the A330 and the A340?

The A330 is a twin-engine jet with no centre-line landing gear bogie. The A340 has four engines and burns more fuel than an A330-200 or A330-300.

The A340’s advantage was range, plus the freedom to fly long overwater routes when twin-engine jets faced stricter ETOPS limits. Once ETOPS approval became available on almost every route, that advantage faded.

Why is the A340 so rare?

Twin-engine jets became reliable enough to fly nearly anywhere, and they cost less to operate. The Boeing 777-300ER collected 838 orders, while Airbus took only 97 orders for the A340-600.

Fuel prices rose sharply in 2008, which hit four-engine long-haul jets hardest. Airbus announced the end of A340 production on 10 November 2011, with 377 delivered.

Safety record

The A340 has never been involved in a fatal accident. On 2 August 2005, Air France Flight 358, an A340-300, overran runway 24L at Toronto Pearson in a thunderstorm and burned. All 297 passengers and 12 crew survived.

A Lufthansa A340-300 (D-AIFA) was written off after a tow truck caught fire beside it at Frankfurt on 11 June 2018. A SriLankan Airlines A340-300 was also destroyed on the ground during an attack at Colombo in 2001.

Are there any A340-300s still flying?

Yes, but not for long. Wikipedia’s operator list reports about 70 A340s in operation as of September 2026, with the largest groups at Lufthansa, Mahan Air, Conviasa and Edelweiss.

Lufthansa plans to keep 12 A340-300s, which are due to leave service in 2027 or 2028. Swiss operates four, averaging 22.9 years old, and plans to retire the last by early 2028. Swiss intends to give the final aircraft to the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

Edelweiss flies five and plans to replace them with Airbus A350-900s. Reports give the end of 2026 or 2027 for that change, so check the airline for the latest date.

A340-300 seat maps and interiors

Cabin layouts differ by airline, so there is no single A340-300 seat map. Check the operator’s own seat map for your flight, because Swiss, Lufthansa and Edelweiss each configure the jet differently.

The A340 fuselage is a wide cabin with eight-abreast economy in the early models, shared with the A330.

Frequently Asked Questions

What engine does the Airbus A340 use?

The A340-200 and A340-300 use four CFM56-5C turbofans. The A340-500 and A340-600 use Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines.

What is the main difference between the Airbus A330 and A340?

The A330 has two engines and the A340 has four. The early A340 wing is nearly identical to the A330’s, but the A340 burns more fuel.

Are there any A340-300 still flying?

Yes. As of late 2026, Lufthansa, Swiss, Edelweiss and several smaller operators still fly it. Lufthansa and Swiss plan to retire theirs by 2027 or 2028.

Why is the A340 so rare?

Twin-engine jets became cheaper to run and gained ETOPS approval for almost every route. Airbus built 377 A340s, against far more orders for the Boeing 777-300ER alone.

Has an A340 ever had a fatal accident?

No fatal accident has involved the A340. The worst, Air France Flight 358 in 2005, ended with all 309 on board surviving.