AIRBUS A330/A340 SERIES

AIRBUS A330/A340

A330s and A340s are used by leading carriers on some of the world’s busiest and longest routes

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The A330/A340 Family concept is unique: one basic airframe is available in six different configurations, powered by two or four engines. The twin-engine A330 is optimised for highest revenue generation and the lowest operating costs from regional segments to extended range routes, while the four-engine A340 provides versatility on the most demanding long-range and ultra-long-range flights.

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The A330/A340 Family is composed of six jetliner versions that share the same fuselage cross-section and offer significant commonality with the optimum mix of operating characteristics in terms of aircraft size, range and economics.The A330/A340 use Airbus’ unique 222-inch fuselage cross-section, offering the highest levels of comfort in all travel classes. Large underfloor cargo areas accommodate containerised or palletised cargo, including the industry-standard LD-3 containers.

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The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 NM. It is similar in design to the twin-engined A330.

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The A340 was launched in June 1987 as a long-range complement to the short-range A320 and the medium-range A300. At the time, Airbus's twinjets were at a disadvantage against aircraft such as the Boeing 747 because of the ETOPS problem as defined by the then-current regulations: two-engined aircraft had to stay within 60 minutes' flying distance of a suitable diversion airport, which prevented them from competing on long over water routes. Furthermore, the existing ETOPS immune wide-bodies in the 250-300 seat range, the trijet DC-10 and L-1011, were aging, as they had been in service since the early 1970s.

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When the A340 first flew in 1991, engineers noticed that the wings were not strong enough to carry the outboard engines at cruising speed without warping and fluttering. To alleviate this, an underwing bulge called a plastron was developed to correct airflow problems around the engine pylons and to add stiffness. The modified A340 began commercial service in 1993 with Lufthansa and Air France

The A340 incorporates high-technology features such as fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. It also uses joysticks instead of yokes, with one joystick to the left of the pilot and one to the right of the co-pilot. The A340's flight deck is highly similar to the A320's, and employs a common pilot rating with the A330. This enables A330/A340 flight crews to fly A320s and vice-versa with minimal extra training. This saves costs for airlines that operate both aircraft families. The cockpit also features CRT-based glass cockpit displays on the A340-200 and A340-300 and LCD-based on -500 and -600. Some composite primary structures are also used.

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