Airbus Still Has A340s On Their Web Site?

747400sp · Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:47 pm

I an a big fan of the A340, but Airbus has discontinued the model back in 2011, yet they still have A340s on their website. Airbus now only sales 4 family types, the giant A380, the A350XWB , the A330 and A32X, so why do they still keep the A340 on their website?

http://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengeraircraft/

Cipango · Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:57 pm

Because they are still a main aircraft type out there and they are widely used across the world.

If it was an A300 on their site then I would understand where you are coming from

Stitch · Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:00 pm

Quoting 747400sp (Thread starter):
I an a big fan of the A340, but Airbus has discontinued the model back in 2011, yet they still have A340s on their website. Airbus now only sales 4 family types, the giant A380, the A350XWB , the A330 and A32X, so why do they still keep the A340 on their website?

The same reason Boeing Commercial has the 707, 717, 727, 757, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD-11, MD-80 and MD-90 on their website? *

* - Yes, they're listed under "Out of Production Models", but Boeing still has full specs and links to the ACAPs for them all.

aviationaware · Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:02 pm

Quoting 747400sp (Thread starter):
so why do they still keep the A340 on their website?

AIrbus' website is not a tool to inform prospective buyers, but a Public Relations instrument. It's for the interested public (like us) and also journalists looking for information about that typem which is still in widespread use with airlines. So it remains on the website.

UAEflyer · Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:12 pm

Didn't Airbus had plans to upgrade the A346 to make it more fuel efficient and better for airlines.

S75752 · Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:17 pm

Quoting cipango (Reply 1):
If it was an A300 on their site then I would understand where you are coming from

Airbus does have 300 and 310, also in Out of Production sections. It does have some specs data, and that nifty google maps range map.

Stitch · Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:19 pm

Quoting UAEflyer (Reply 4):
Didn't Airbus had plans to upgrade the A346 to make it more fuel efficient and better for airlines.

Yes, in late 2005 Airbus announced the A340-500 Enhanced and the A340-600 Enhanced. The goal was to reduce the fuel burn gap to the 777-300ER from ~10% to around 3%.

Changes included moving to Aluminum-Lithium for the fuselage skins to reduce weight, aerodynamic improvements, replacing the Trent 500s with a new Trent 1500 engine based on the Trent 1000 and Trent 1700 and adopting the (original A350) cabin.

Neither model gained any traction in the marketplace and when Airbus moved to the A350XWB six months later, the A340 Enhanced program was shelved.

DocLightning · Sun Jun 29, 2014 5:04 pm

Quoting Stitch (Reply 6):
Neither model gained any traction in the marketplace

Precisely. Because
1) Still burned more fuel than the 777
2) Still had twice the engines to maintain as the 777

Quoting Stitch (Reply 6):
when Airbus moved to the A350XWB six months later,

Was it that early? Didn't they propose what was basically the A330NEO version of the A350 first?

Stitch · Sun Jun 29, 2014 5:59 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 7):
Was it that early? Didn't they propose what was basically the A330NEO version of the A350 first?

The A350XWB was launched in July 2006 at the Farnborough Airshow.

[Edited 2014-06-29 11:00:50]

trijetsonly · Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:18 pm

Isn't it fact that Airbus still offers the A340 on request?
I think so because it is basically an A330 with two more engines but the production, the facilities and the tooling is the same.

Stitch · Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:28 pm

Quoting Trijetsonly (Reply 9):
Isn't it fact that Airbus still offers the A340 on request?

No, Airbus has formally withdrawn the A340 family from sale.

Viscount724 · Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:51 pm

Quoting S75752 (Reply 5):
Quoting cipango (Reply 1):
If it was an A300 on their site then I would understand where you are coming from

Airbus does have 300 and 310, also in Out of Production sections. It does have some specs data,

Airbus (like Boeing) has detailed specifications and performance data for all their types on their site, whether still in production or not.
http://www.airbus.com/support/mainte...cal-data/aircraft-characteristics/

delta88 · Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:33 pm

Doesnt airbus have a few A340s available for sale(the ones from Singapore and a few left over production ones come to mind)? In reality if they really wanted to sell them they could try

Stitch · Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:46 am

Quoting delta88 (Reply 12):
Doesnt airbus have a few A340s available for sale(the ones from Singapore and a few left over production ones come to mind)?

Boeing has some, as well (A340-600s taken from China Eastern as parts exchange for 777-300ERs).

prosa · Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:58 am

The A340 family is on the "Passenger Aircraft" section of the site, along with the A320/330/350/380, while the A300 and A310 are on the "Out of Production" section.

Stitch · Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:14 am

Quoting prosa (Reply 14):
The A340 family is on the "Passenger Aircraft" section of the site, along with the A320/330/350/380, while the A300 and A310 are on the "Out of Production" section.

Airbus probably just have not bothered to re-do their webpage as of yet.

Cipango · Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:47 am

Quoting S75752 (Reply 5):
Airbus does have 300 and 310, also in Out of Production sections. It does have some specs data, and that nifty google maps range map.

I am aware of this. I actually meant having the A310 in the section of the website as outlined by the OP.

N14AZ · Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:10 am

Quoting Stitch (Reply 6):

Quoting UAEflyer (Reply 4):
Didn't Airbus had plans to upgrade the A346 to make it more fuel efficient and better for airlines.

Yes, in late 2005 Airbus announced the A340-500 Enhanced and the A340-600 Enhanced. The goal was to reduce the fuel burn gap to the 777-300ER from ~10% to around 3%.

Changes included moving to Aluminum-Lithium for the fuselage skins to reduce weight, aerodynamic improvements, replacing the Trent 500s with a new Trent 1500 engine based on the Trent 1000 and Trent 1700 and adopting the (original A350) cabin.

I might be wrong but maybe UAEFlyer was referring to the recent discussion about putting more seats into existing A 346's in order to achieve a better fuel efficiency per seat. IIRC they had kind of a conference or something similar. Airbus' motivation was, of course, to improve the 346's position on the second-hand-market.

Navigator · Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:52 am

Quoting 747400sp (Thread starter):
an a big fan of the A340, but Airbus has discontinued the model back in 2011, yet they still have A340s on their website. Airbus now only sales 4 family types, the giant A380, the A350XWB , the A330 and A32X, so why do they still keep the A340 on their website?

It is because they sell refurbished second hand A340:s that airlines trade in to Airbus in deals involving newer models.

PanHAM · Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:20 am

They offer second hand aircraft on their website, the 340s which are on offer are trade-ins, simple as that. Boeing has an even much more comprehensive list where they also list second Hand or 2re-marketed" air craft which are available through Brokers.

brilondon · Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:14 pm

Quoting UAEflyer (Reply 4):

Didn't Airbus had plans to upgrade the A346 to make it more fuel efficient and better for airlines.

I would think that the A350 has pretty much made this aircraft obsolete. Although due to the fact that there are still ones flying would they not have it available for parts so that the airlines could continue to use the aircraft?

Stitch · Mon Jun 30, 2014 2:40 pm

Quoting N14AZ (Reply 17):
I might be wrong but maybe UAEFlyer was referring to the recent discussion about putting more seats into existing A 346's in order to achieve a better fuel efficiency per seat. IIRC they had kind of a conference or something similar. Airbus' motivation was, of course, to improve the 346's position on the second-hand-market.

Ah, yes.

Yes, in December 2013 Airbus floated a proposal to raise the certified Exit Limit for the A340-600 from the current 440 to 475 (the A340-600's exit configuration of 8 Type A and 2 Type III doors would support a 475-seat EL). One configuration would be all-Economy at 8-abreast with 18" cushion width and 31/32" pitch and another configuration would be 18 Business Class and 457 economy class at 9-abreast (with 16.7" cushion width). The target audience for these 475-seat configurations are charter operators currently using 747-400s.

Rolls-Royce has also agreed to cap their Total Care pricing for the four Trent 500s to set the annual maintenance costs equal to that of GE OnePoint's costs for two GE90-115Bs.

Viscount724 · Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:37 pm

Quoting PanHAM (Reply 19):
They offer second hand aircraft on their website, the 340s which are on offer are trade-ins, simple as that. Boeing has an even much more comprehensive list where they also list second Hand or 2re-marketed" air craft which are available through Brokers.

Reminds me when Boeing was advertising A340-300s for sale in the mid to late 1990s, SQ aircraft they took in trade when SQ switched from the A343 to the 772ER.

dennys · Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:01 pm

A340s are still flying , aren ´ they ?