Still Flying Strong: The State Of The Airbus A340 In 2024

The Airbus A340 never gained the same iconic status as its larger sibling, the A380, and competitor, the Boeing 747. However, many aviation enthusiasts worldwide still go out of their way to fly the four-engine aircraft, as the type is still active with several passenger airlines. The oldest active A340 is now 32 years old, while the youngest is just over 13 years of age. In this video, we examine the active global A340 fleet and where travelers have the best chances of spotting or stepping onboard the now out-of-production jet.
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[@magnustan841]

I think it’s fair to say the A340-600 is one of the coolest-looking airplanes ever made. I really want to try and a get myself on one.

[@alessandrosmartins]

I agree.

[@user-oj4xp2lh4d]

You will not be disappointed.

[@PenskePC17]

It is cool to see a modern standard wide body with 4 engines.

[@SirPresidentRoYaL]

Yeah

[@asefsfsrfsdfsdf]

you can ride on the Lufthansa A340-600, they still have it.

[@tanjiehjia]

I just flew the A346 with Lufthansa from FRA to HKG 2 days ago. It was very cool to experience the jet with it's pretty fun launch from the very end of runway 18. Upon exploring the aircraft during flight, I could tell that Lufthansa has been keeping up with the maintenence with the aircraft as the plane felt like it was in very good condition. The only way you could tell that the plane was showing it's age is in the cabin pressure and cabin humidity when compared to current generation jets. The bathrooms under the main deck is also a really nice touch. All of the 6 bathrooms were also very spacious. It was definitely worth going out of my way to fly with the quad jet.

[@magnustan841]

You're lucky to have gotten that chance, I hope mine will come soon. With Lufthansa's new first-class equipped A350s delayed a bit further, I hope my window of opportunity has grown slightly wider.

[@klutzz85]

Flew a Turkish Airlines A340 from JFK to IST back in 2005. Such a fantastic plane to fly, and still one of my favorite flights of all time. Slow lumbering climb with those 4 underpowered engines doing their best "I think I can" version of aviation.

[@leschase1824]

The European Air Cargo A340-600 has virtually daily flights flying from Bournemouth England nonstop to Chengdu China. Generally departing 14-30 to 17-30 from Bournemouth, and landing from around 08-00 to 11-00 in the mornings at Bournemouth. They pass each other generally between 23-30 and 00-30 GMT, UTC within a few miles of each other coming into and out from China. Also, just before Christmas 2023, there was upto 9 flights a week between Bournemouth and Chengdu.

[@HuracanadoWX]

I love the A340. I used to service Iberia’s -300s and -600s at SJU in the early 2000s. The feeling when pushing back the extremely long -600 was amazing and required a bit of concentration because the gate area wasn’t very spacious. More recently, I was able to capture AirHub’s -300 that was flying to BWI for Air Senegal back in 2022. Btw, regarding Lufthansa’s BOG flight, they also use the -300 on this route. Another regular Edelweiss route is ZRH-SJO.

[@Pilot-2020]

One of my friends flew on an Edelweiss A340 to Thailand recently. I am so jealous

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

Book a trip to Phuket!

[@anitaroberts8729]

Long live the A-340! 🛩💙🛩

[@nurrizadjatmiko21]

Very interesting. I have also recently discovered an important status about the A340. As of December 2023, at least a total of 127 Airbus A340 are still operational across 4 variants : 8 Airbus A340-200 64 A340-300 17 A340-500 and 38 A340-600 He did not mention Surinam Airways btw. I have never flown onboard the A340 but hopefully i will have a chance to get onboard the A340 in the near future.

[@chicagolanddesigns6447]

A340-600…. My favorite plane

[@eaglerare1273]

One note for summer service, LA uses the 346 for KCLT. Winters we get the 350's. Thanks and cheers

[@de-fault_de-fault]

I’ve only had one A340 flight, and it was on a then-brand new A340-600 with Virgin Atlantic in 2005. That was one long airplane and I loved every minute of it.

[@christopherbiggs4019]

I flew on the Virgin Atlantic 600s too regularly from London to the Caribbean. It was a great plane and I really miss it, the 787 is not a worthy replacement.

[@Dwighthanen]

Surinam Airways also has one that's flying from Suriname to Holland

[@sundsakeraeko9664]

Flew one A340-600 of Lufthansa in 2019 on MUC-JFK route. What a gorgeous machine it is! Graceful and spacious, with such a remarkable slow and unhurried climb, was happy to fly it while still in active service.

[@niklasgermann]

Flying with edelweiss this summer ZRH-YVR on the A340-300.. very excited!

[@wrightst8]

Lovely looking aircraft. Used to fly AirAsiaX 343 from LGW/STN to KUL. And yes, it was the longest take off I've ever experienced! And the MD-11 was another classic, but only flew it once Swissair ZRH to SGN. Plane spotting is just not the same these days!

[@kol257]

Edelweiss also flies the A340-300 to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO). Experience was great for what is a considered a leasure airline

[@dominicafful9669]

I frequently see the South African A 340 take off from Accra Ghana and I recognize it even without seeing it just by the sound of it's four engines.

[@notforrestbono3100]

theyre adding another one and acquiring it \

[@WolfandCatUnite]

It's one of the best aviation videos I have seen in a year. I especially enjoyed flight maps for each major carrier. The flight maps made it for me. I want to see more flight maps. Great video. Keep it up. I canr't wait to try the Denver to Frankfort route. thanks

[@r12004rewy]

Certainly one of the best looking subsonic aircraft of all times, I flew on a Virgin A340-600 in 2012 from DC to.LHR, entering the aircraft at the front and walking along to the economy section at the back made you appreciate the length of this monster, I had plenty of opportunity to explore the cabin as there were under 70 passengers on the flight, Its such a pity that the 346 didn't sell in higher numbers, I hope to take a flight with Lufthansa before they are finally retired.

[@kharabovsk]

I have been an A340 lover since 1991 . I love this quad . I guess LH will be the last A340 operator . Not to mention that by the Airbus Consortium, the Germans were the leading people who conducted the A340 project . My r e a l regret is to have not seen this beauty flying in UTA and SWISSAIR ( not Swiss ) colours .

[@LtNduati]

Love me a good video on the A340, especially the A340-600 just flew on two of them LH424 and LH425 in Nov. 2023 with the one and only Lufthansa

[@alessandrosmartins]

Such beautiful machines A340 and A380!

[@B--ip9bm]

I flew the A340-300 in 2013 with Air France from Paris CDG bound for Montreal, and I also had the chance to see the flight deck in flight as one of my friend was captain on 330/340 before (he's now captain on 777).

[@FN-rr6mk]

Edelweiss also flies their A340s to Bogota and the return service is via Cartagena.

[@kelvinyang7475]

Flew one round trip with A340-300, aka 5APU. I was surprised how long it stayed accelerating on the runway but ultimately very similar experience as the 330

[@Peizxcv]

A340’s greatest advantage as speciality aircraft/ VIP jets is its parts commonality with A330 which is still very popular

[@giuseppersa2391]

It's of an outstanding beauty ❤❤❤

[@eamonahern7495]

The older 340s have very small engines for a wide body. Even with 4 of them it must have needed a lot of runway to get off the ground.

[@Pbairsoftman]

Lufthansa flies one of them to Denver, now that’s a looooooong takeoff roll

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

Its known as an underpowered aircraft. Airbus designed it for a wonky engine that never went ahead. So they had to scramble for an off the shelf engine. In the 1970s. It was never really suited for such a large plane. Then came R-R.

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@michaelrmurphy2734it’s not underpowered. It’s a lot lighter than the -500 and -600. Runway requirements at max take off weight are the same.

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@Pbairsoftmanjust like any 4 engine airplane. But not underpowered.

[@marlontharusha5171]

What about the A340 of Brunei's sultan and government?

[@user-oj4xp2lh4d]

Was and still is a great aircraft both from appearance and flight comfort.

[@ishaannabie2660]

Surinam airways flys between Paramaribo and Amsterdam have also an Airbus A340-300

[@johnhopkins4920]

Indeed they are missing from this overview. They have daily flights, I think 4x/ week.

[@anv6474]

i flew it last year (lufthansa). In the return flight a flew the variant in which the lavatories are located underneath the passenger deck

[@chrisbrowning360]

I came to the comment section to see what good jokes had been posted. I was surprised to see none, and instead lots of praise and interesting info about the jet. GG, Airbus!

[@andrewtempleton1734]

Said goodbye for now to the A-340 in Dallas a few months back as a Lufthansa 777 assumed the route during the peak travel season, hope to see it return a few more times before they retire

[@rulewski33]

Lufthansa doesnt fly the 777 though? They only use some Freighter Models, must have been something else

[@EduardoCarvalho0211]

Lufthansa also flies the A343 on their 3x weekly LH500/501 from FRA to Rio de Janeiro GIG. I was on it both directions now during my Christmas/New Year’s holiday. But LH plans to deploy the Boeing 789 in the route before the end of this year.

[@274727]

The used A340-500s would be perfect as AWACS planes for the airforce. 🧐

[@Pbairsoftman]

Edelweiss is going to start service to Denver this May with their A340s, I’m very excited!

[@gretareinarsson7461]

It’s just such a cool awesome aircraft👏😊

[@pascalolivier4458]

I flew a few times AF's A340-300 on YUL-CDG. I always loved the comfort I had for my legs in economy. I'm 1m91.

[@CapB777]

Saw one of Lufthansa’s A340’s last week at ORD 👍🏼

[@user-ou2et8sj9x]

As I never flew in an a340 but I think that it’s lovely plane has a good record reliability record and a lot of nice colours

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

Zurich Airport is also lovely to planespot due to the visitor deck right next to the runway.

[@cabottaxi]

I flew on a Qatar 346 from Doha down to Sri Lanka and back. It's so long.

[@noahpfisterlibby1027]

You missed some flights operated by the A340-300. LH flies three times a week with the A343 to SJO from FRA. Edelweiss also deploys the A343 to SJO from ZRH as well.

[@jamesau4296]

Looking forward to see if A380 are going to be the future “sanctioned country” jet

[@KensoranAV]

SAA is expecting another a340-300 sometime soon, increasing their fleet size to 2. (Pretty sure this is the only passenger airline who is expecting additional a340 aircraft)

[@igorbednarski8048]

you've missed the route from Almaty to Frankfurt where I flew on a Lufthansa A340 last month.

[@averdung]

The RR Philharmonic and the Hair Dryer Rack are nice planes to fly as a pax, and 4 Trents make any pilot happy! Of course, if one drives the 343, seeing the trees up close for miles and miles as the Earth curves away after takeoff can be stressful, but you win some, you lose some

[@franciscochamberlain3643]

Both Edelweiss and Lufthansa currently fly to Costa Rica with 340s about 2-3 times per week.

[@EngelsAviation]

the most quiet quad jet ever made n flew… A340-300!!! Olympic !!!!

[@lw7108]

A340-600 ❤

[@RMSTitanicWSL]

My guess is the last operators will have routes to and from Australia over the Pacific and/or Indian Oceans.

[@history_leisure]

I think I rode an A340 between JFK and Zurich in June and/or July 2016, but that's 8 years ago now

[@mcastillano7109]

Last time I flew A340 was with PR from London LHR to Manila, Philippines

[@Sacto1654]

I believe that Lufthansa is one of the last airlines to fly the A340-600 in its original configuration. Once the 777-9 starts to arrive in (hopefully) early 2025, Lufthansa plans to retire both the 747-400 and A340-600 fairly quickly. The Lufthansa A340-300's will likely be phased out within the next few years by the equivalent A350-900.

[@JDFloyd]

I flew on a Swiss A340 in 2004 from ZHR to JFK, adding to my list of Airbus aircraft. The obvious last company to fly them will be a cargo airline, but I would not discount a Governmental VIP user.

[@TherconJair]

Interesting, the two times I flew with Swiss' A340 was from Zürich to Tokyo Narita.

[@davidhamburger7758]

You forgot Edelweiss Flight to Bogotá (Bogota)

[@nicon5515]

pretty sure i`ve seen Iberia`s A340 flying in my home country. San Jose, SJO, Costa Rica. Edeweiss as well

[@olfrygt]

"Proving the type's unreliability" Yeah or maybe... just maybe... the ineptitute of the maintenance infrastructure of the German Air Force.

[@Bennet_yt]

Last oper prob lufthansa 747’s still standing

[@vim9099]

Despite being underpowered, I'll always love the -300 variant.

[@user-eg3nb3tf1l]

Wow

[@mayhemnbc22]

I wonder what happened to the Virgin 340 600. The first airline to fly the type. My company was the first to touch that aircraft when it came to jfk.

[@alsa4real]

I will miss this plane

[@carloscastano2454]

Since December 2023 ; Edelweiss is flying to Bogota with their A340 's.

[@bossfight6125]

I’m suspecting that the A380 may be gone before the A340

[@warmike]

I doubt it. Conviasa will probably buy used A380s after their A340s break down

[@eamonahern7495]

I doubt it. Emirates intend to have A380s still in operation into the 2040s according to previous Simple Flying videos.

[@kingsharkoon]

just no. The A380 - as stated - will be flying after the A340 is long gone from regular flying. The only chance the A340 will have is flying in Iran but even then...

[@CheapBastard1988]

I expect the same, even if the only one left is the Iranian government aircraft. That is, if the government of Iran continues to exist in its current form for the next 25 years. Though their sustainability is debatable.

[@nitromenoob]

The A380 will be gone before an A340 reaches top of climb

[@SRT-fv6wr]

Became obsolete as soon as the 777 came online .. ETOPS also dealt the death blow to the quad engine widebody.

[@Hahlen]

You missed Air Suriname, which now operates a single A340-300

[@USSRLeader-gz9iv]

I've seen the SAA. A340 in Accra

[@bonappa]

Its a very comfortable and quieter aircraft than the more modern aircrafts. I have recently flown Lufthansa A 340 300 - Mumbai BOM to Frankfurt Great aircraft, smooth flying experience and great crew too, very impressed with it 😊😊😊

[@craigmclane5610]

Some American re-fit company (like Sierra Nevada) should be evaluating the A340-500/600 as a candidate to replace USAF's nearly worn-out 747-200s as the new Survivable Airborne Command Center aircraft. USAF is insisting on a quad-jet. Boeing has made a proposal that doesn't meet USAF requirements and said "take it or leave it - we don't need this contract."

[@orangeball5312]

Im guessing that Lufthansa will be the last operator of the A340

[@leonardomg87]

Lufthansa is also flying the -300 to Rio

[@richarddastardly6845]

A330 is the way to go imo

[@KitipatYuan-mx9qk]

Some company in china just bought the A340-600s from Thai Airways a several months ago and the first aircraft just ferried out from u-tapao pattaya to China last month they said they will modify the aircraft to cargo.

[@theasianaviation]

Actually the RTAF uses two a340's and did we forget about suriname airlines?

[@JaronLszb]

the azerbaijan airlines a340-600s are in teruel, spain. they stand there, you can see them in google maps. i dont know if they are getting maintenence or are just parked

[@reko3103]

I honestly thought South Africa had retired all their A340s

[@imranetic]

I want to know why these carriers are continuing with A340 and not upgrading. Just genuinely curious.

[@phildesaintjean8599]

Look old liner jet 🤩

[@loumaris49]

Air Belgium flys one too.

[@tunkunrunk]

I've always dreamed my country bought this plane , but it never happened

[@stevenholt1867]

I reckon the last remaining Airbus A340 could be Qatar Amiri.

[@510ghostboy]

you forgot to mention LAX

[@IO-zz2xy]

I believe SAA have reintroduced their A340 aircraft.

[@vtdrmm7161]

Eswatini has an A340?!?😮

[@lerenner9002]

I really would say Lufthansa, they will fly the a340 and the 747 until they can’t find spare parts

[@motioncompensation1544]

I didn’t see Surinam Airways on the list, with a single A340-300 operating between Paramaribo and Amsterdam.

[@johnhopkins4920]

👍🏻 Indeed missing from this overview!

[@marcusianaviation9372]

It will forever be the plane that takes off only due to the curvature of the Earth 😂

[@stradivarioushardhiantz5179]

HZ-SKY is the most iconic

[@Petriefied0246]

I'm curious why they're still in service in preference to some twin jets. Is it about performance, economy, or something else?

[@eckie4679]

Squeezing every last bit of return on their investment 🤔

[@MrSchwabentier]

Its mainly because of availability. If you buy a new 787 or A350 today you’ll wait several years. Lufthansa is even buying used A350 from others to get new planes fast enough

[@Petriefied0246]

@@eckie4679 yeah, but I thought the running costs might have made it less profitable.

[@Titot182]

Aseman, Azman, Ass Man... Does this mean that if Billy Gunn formed an airline, he'd likely start his fleet up with A340s because they cater to the #AssMan? Earliest and only memory of an A340 was LHR-JFK in April 1996 with Virgin Atlantic. IFE was epic at the time, since there was SNES at the back of the seat,meaning I could play FZero for the 7 or so hours it took.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

0:54 There are a LOT MORE active planes listed today than a year ago - due to recovery from COVID and it's mild worldwide depression.

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

It was more than a "mild" depression...!

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@michaelrmurphy2734 Compared to the depression of the 1930s? It was mild and short. I think you're thinking I said "mild REcession" - which it was not.

[@hornymelodies]

You forgot Surinam!

[@sendivranasinghe2301]

Air Lanka now Sri Lankan airlines was a launch customer for Asia back in the day they where operating the type. They operated the a340-300. They both the type to I think replace the 747 200s

[@baruchajodhia1816]

you guys forgot the Surinam Airways A340

[@dabneyoffermein595]

God I used to hate flying the A340-300

[@user-qo4cf4qu1q]

I love this plane, I have flown several hundred thousand miles with Swiss on the A340 in all three classes and this plane is definitely my favorite. I hate twin engines like the Boeing 777-300ER which are horribly noisy with their monstrous reactors.

[@fxndz21]

South african airways should bring back a340s