The Story Of The A340-500: Airbus' First Ultra Long Range Aircraft

After launching the A340, Airbus looked at increasing the capacity and range of its -300 variant. Wanting to build an A340 with an ultra-long range, the company then developed the A340-500, which would be powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines. Its theoretical maximum range: Close to 9,000 nautical miles!
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[@Ac130-c8n]

The a340 500 is so underrated, one of my favourite retired planes

[@minhhoangle2418]

Can’t agree more, it’s just borned in the right time

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

Not completely retired. Just for commercial use.

[@340ACP]

I was the captain on the first flight from Toronto to Hong Kong, to this day it’s still my favourite aircraft to fly!

[@fduran6993]

Motives please? Thanks.

[@chaitanyarao5546]

Please do tell us more, how was the experience and how long did you fly the route?

[@theaviator_7678]

The A340-500/600 are my favorite aircraft. The -500 was, and still is one of the most capable commercial aircraft ever made. It's such a beauty, a single decker quadjet is very rare to see. It's too bad only a few airlines ordered it and it's not in commercial service anymore, it had so much potential.

[@soccerguy2433]

There were several single isle quad jets that proceeded the a340.

[@octagonPerfectionist]

@@soccerguy2433yes but they were very small in comparison

[@zacherius137]

It wasn’t capable. That’s why not a lot of operators wanted it.

[@theaviator_7678]

@@zacherius137 It was. It was a quadjet, which made it perform better, and it was a single decker which made it more fuel efficient than aircraft like the 747 and A380. That's not the reason airlines didn't want it at all, it was because of fuel inefficiency

[@jonw4743]

I remember flying this from New York to Singapore in ‘04. I’d come from Kansas, and was going onwards to Jakarta. One of the best flights I’ve ever had, at well over 10,000 miles travelled!

[@chancellorjake]

Words I never thought I hear in a Simple Flying video. Corpse. Cupboard.

[@richardneilan2392]

I flew on a Thai A340-500 from BKK to JFK in 2006. Beautiful, comfortable aircraft and a terrific experience.

[@dennis12dec]

One of them is now used by the Royal Thai Air Force.

[@pablorodriguezfernandez414]

As a pilot, my favourite airplane has always been the A340, specially the -600 variant. It may not be a perfect aircraft, neither efficient on todays times with inflation and highly priced fuel, but whoever you place in front of this airplane, he/she would be amazed by that majesty. I've already assumed that I'd never get the chance to fly one, but that's why I have an A340 tie clip that's always in my uniform. True love for it ❤️

[@kevinp8108]

In 2008, I flew 17 hours non-stop from Los Angeles to Bangkok Thailand on a Thai Airways A340-500.

[@jfmezei]

The 340-500s ordered by SIN not only had low density seating, but had bathroom blocks in the cargo deck with stairs down to them. This was possibel due to the plane having no capacity to carry cargo so there was more space available downstairs and that allowed the main cabin to be more spacious and customers not disrupted by being seated next to toilets.

[@aerotube7291]

Interesting!

[@stellarch4986]

A bit like Lufthansa's A340-600s which feature the toilets/washrooms in the lower level, below the main passenger cabin.

[@cabottaxi]

Underated aircraft this. Only 340 I have flown on was Qatar 346 from Doha to Columbo. What a lenth of aircraft.

[@magnustan841]

I still have an old picture of a Singapore Airlines example from July 2013, just a few months before the retirement. Such a graceful aircraft, with those 4 big engines.

[@mmichaelnowell1512]

Beautiful looking aircraft! Obviously reliable ,fuel prices drop ! Put that beauty back in the ! DO NOT SCRAP THA AIRBUS!!!!!!!!!

[@ianghose1]

Had them on Frankfurt-San Jose and San Jose- Frankfurt back in 2018. Found them much smoother than the A380..

[@jfmezei]

The corpse storage was refrigirated and for these long flights, they would not leave it in open spaces and didn't want to condemn a washroom. (and not sure who had authority on a flight to declare a passenger dead). Singapore had no choice but to make it all business because it did not have range needed to do EWR-SIN on a full load of passengers. And while the flight was full, it had no cargo capacity (again due to range limits on the 340-500). Airbus had overpromised the range capabilities on the aircraft so when time came for the 380 and then 350, customer were more demanding in the wording of their contracts. The galleys were also slightly different because on an 18 hour flight, second meal would have to be loaded still frozen so the galleys had freezers as well as refrigirated storage.

[@aerotube7291]

Great knowledge in some of these comments!

[@r12004rewy]

What a pity that the entire 340 project didn't have the success it deserved, the 340-600 was/is a beautiful looking aircraft and perhaps if Covid hadn't happen there would still be a few more in service, we can thank Lufthansa for their continued support for the 340, but potentially only for a couple more years.

[@obroni]

I flew on these frequently with SQ between Singapore and Jakarta. Yes, they also used the ultra long-haul A340-500 for this 1-hour route, several times a day. This was for crew training and certification, since they didn't want to do such work on the lengthy LA and Newark flights. You often stood a chance of a business-class upgrade, since there were so few economy class seats onboard (before they removed them completely).

[@whiskeysk]

Manage to fly SIN-CGK in the executive economy in 2006. Really comfortable for such a short. My only 340-500 segment ever.

[@thisiskevin1000]

An inspiration for the A350-900 and -1000ULRs

[@user-ku4mo8kd7v]

Airbus a350 forever ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Airbus fans here ❤❤❤❤❤

[@davidhodgson977]

That was a very interesting video, thank you.

[@BagusWidyanto_HappyIn1997]

It could have been used for tanker, or successor of RC-135

[@huffybankovic4705]

Please make a video about the Sud Aviation Caravelle! I would love to learn more about the French Jet Lady. Also, great video ❤

[@_Erogaki]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="208">3:28</a> 9V-SGE registration is still alive today as an A359.

[@EpicThe112]

FYI its the whole ULR fleet that recycled A345 registrations. By type it goes like this A359 Long Haul non ULRs B744 A343 registrations A333s A310 registrations A359ulr A345 registrations. My plan to MNL from EWR is using the SQ 9V-SGA-SGG fleet then B78X/A359 regional/Long Haul for the SIN-MNL leg. basically avoiding PR127

[@flyingdentist]

beautiful plane

[@rockyshore7017]

Yes, very elegant... and perfectly-proportioned.

[@jfmezei]

When Air Canada enterred CCAA (Chapter 11 in Canada), it petitioned judge to void the purchase contract. Airbus participated in hearings and managed to have cancellation penalties honoured because the cancellation would have been made after declaration of CCAA and thus payable. Airbus also offfered another option to accept 2 -500s at a lower price and provided the math to bankruptcy judge to show that it would in fact draw less finds from Air Canada to accept these 2 planes and run them at a profit than to pay cancellation penalties. What was not written in the court filings is that the 2 planes AC would get were early production aircraft with centre tanks disabled due to problems and thus lesser range.

[@malvinuku7878]

Should do a video on where all Malaysian airlines’ 772er fleet have gone

[@_msraviation]

oh

[@NicotineRosberg]

yea

[@stellarch4986]

and where are the two ( or four ( not sure )) A380s that Malaysian airlines had in their fleet not so long ago.... ?

[@Teddoxa]

pretty cool plane!

[@stellarch4986]

Unless I am very wrong, I thought that Aerolineas Argentinas had two of the special version of the A340-500 for their Buenos Aires to Auckland NZ + Sydney AU route.

[@Tpr_1808]

If a340-500s had P2F, they'd be nice for long haul cargo transport

[@ruialves4965]

Go to love the 340 🍻

[@jean-pierremichau8041]

There are three A340-500 parked at OR Tambo

[@hbsgroup]

Flew on the SIA A345 back then

[@Ibrahim-ki5xw]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="28">0:28</a> underrated plane so quiet but airbus should not have put hairdryer's as engines

[@stradivarioushardhiantz5179]

List of ACJ340-500; 1. A7-HHH; Qatar Amiri Flight 2. VP-BMS; Sands Aviation 3. T7-SAU; Private 4. HS-TYV; Royal Thai Air Force 5. I-TALY; Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) 6. TC-CAN; Turkey Government 7. 7T-VPP; Government of Algeria 8. 9K-GBA; State of Kuwait 9. 9K-GBB; State of Kuwait

[@david4x-ear198]

I see the A340-500 Las Vegas Sands at Tel Aviv or Eilat airports from time to time.

[@boffisgd]

They can still fly to Tel Aviv despite the quadjet ban?

[@david4x-ear198]

@@boffisgd It is not yet in place. There are plenty of 747 cargo aircraft that land there.

[@cruisinguy6024]

How could you not at least mention the -600?

[@AnAussieMallu]

Make a video : Aircraft with wider wingspan when compared to its length 1.A380 2.A318 3.A340-200 4.737-600 5. 777-200 LR 6. 787-8 7. AN-10A 8. AN-140 9. AN-225 Etc

[@chiagozienjoku7198]

I have flown on the 300 and 600 variants

[@BillyWatersIE]

the only plane in the world with five APUs

[@_msraviation]

😂😂

[@juansanchez-tr1dq]

No, you're thinking of the -200/-300... this was an animal by comparison

[@peoplesambassadordm8279]

No but would like to fly on one. 340-500. 340-600. Or 380 or 747... 47s limited to china airlines and lufthansa in passenger config. Are there other companies flying the 47 in passenger config? Oh n korean Air too but thats it to my knowledge

[@sundragon7703]

Was it not feasible to have a cargo version/conversion of the A340-500?

[@MrSchwabentier]

feasible yes, but you need to develop and most importantly certify such a conversion. That's expensive. And if you then only make like 20 conversions it's going to be a loss of money. There is a conversion variant of the A330 now, I'm not sure there will be one of the A340

[@arenkenzie8621]

Lufthansa still operate its a340

[@EMPERORakshaypatil]

Unless you are specifically talking about A340-500 Lufthansa still operate A340-600 on daily basis

[@kenrickohlson1989]

Doesn’t SAA have a A340-400 ?

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

No such airplane exists.

[@boffisgd]

A340-400 does not exist, but aside from the -500s they did also have -300s in the 90s until early 2000s which got replaced by Boeing 777 after Boeing made a deal to swap the A340s for 777s.

[@stellarch4986]

SAA had two A340-600s before the pandemic if I recall correctly...

[@markarca6360]

All eyes on Airbus as Boeing got problems. If it's Boeing, I'm not flying.

[@jamesau4296]

Really niche, although flying from China to South America would be an ultra long haul but the passengers numbers are too limited, too unstable to justify buying specialised aircraft and launching routes

[@EpicThe112]

If it wasn't made the following routes JFK/EWR/LAX🇺🇲/YYZ🇨🇦-DXB/SIN🇸🇬/BKK🇹🇭/HKG🇭🇰 would be stuck as one stops. Witj the introduction of this plane it was able to make it non-stop to those route then eventually the current generation aeroplanes B777-300/ER/A380/A350-900ULR future much improved A350-1000ULR <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="512">8:32</a> Does it mean SIN-EWR/JFK? As a matter of fact the ULR should be able to do SQ rival PR127/126 JFK/EWR-MNL non-stop in both ways since the HGW gets weight restricted on the return trip.

[@schecterguitarsfan]

quad engines will always look cooler than 2

[@moekitsune]

Personally I prefer two larger engines aesthetically but to each their own

[@vuho2075]

So the plane was modified to become a flying funeral home....

[@jimw8615]

It was making money til changed to all business class. 100 to be exact. With economic downturn, it’s almost losing money on every LAX flight. While EWR is not that bad. We flew the pacific, Atlantic & over the North Pole. Eventually, the new CEO jus shut down the entire fleet.

[@nkag545]

What's the name of the BGM playing the later half of the video?

[@cskvision]

A340 -500: The Longest Range Aircraft in the World B777-200LR: ...hold my beer.

[@Prodagist]

The A340-500 entered service several years before the 777-200LR, so at the time, yes, it was the longest range aircraft in the world

[@747simmer4]

yea the 777-200LR competed with this when it came out. but no doubt airbus started the ultra long haul shtik with this

[@DausHMS]

@@cskvision A350-900ULR: Hold my pilsner

[@stellarch4986]

Nope... The actual max range of the A340-500 was still greater than the 777-200LR by about a thousand kilometers !!

[@eleemm2638]

dont see a big use for it tho. a350 ulr can go 9,700nm

[@charlesprouse6915]

You realize that there was about 15 years between the entry into service of the two types right?

[@VAStudio-xk6pv]

But 345 was built with a lot of Aluminum ...instead of composites 😂

[@DausHMS]

Someone obviously didnt watch the video

[@VAStudio-xk6pv]

@@DausHMS They just don't and don't want to understand the evolution of it🤡

[@moharikram1687]

A340-500 do not need to readjust the tank size for specific use though... and not really required ETOPS (They do have, they just not required).

[@KlausErmecke]

I have already made this remark a number of times: At "Simple Flying", you have a tendency to drown your viewers in (sometimes meaningless) details. But often the context is missing and the analysis much too shallow. Here: It does absolutely no sense to talk about the history of the A340-500 without mentioning the already by concept much more important and larger -600!