...But Program Has Fewer Customers Now Than Before
Airbus announced Friday
the company has achieved European Aviation and Safety Agency (EASA)
certification for the latest version of the long range A340-600,
the upgraded 380-ton variant of the four-engine long-haul airliner.
Qatar Airways is the first customer to take delivery of this new
higher gross weight A340-600 with first deliveries due to begin in
summer 2006, followed by deliveries to Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic
and Etihad Airways.
There's a name missing from that list: Emirates, which was
originally to receive 20 of the upgraded airliners, announced last month they would defer
scheduled deliveries of the -600 to give Airbus time to come up
with a more-efficient version of the plane, which has
lost sales in recent years to Boeing's 777.
Earlier this week, Emirates also hinted they may decide to swap their A340 slots
outright, for more A380 superjumbo jets.
That said, the A340-600 HGW (high gross weight) does feature
some significant improvements over the original A340. Benefiting
from A380 technology, reduced maintenance costs, and the latest
development of Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, the new A340-600,
with typical seating of 380 passengers in three-class comfort,
provides up to 18 percent higher productivity compared to earlier
variants, while traveling 250nm further -- up to 7,900nm.
"Airbus is delighted to receive certification of this new
version of our A340-600" said Airbus President and CEO Gustav
Humbert. "The certification brings it closer to operation. This new
A340-600 will allow our customers to fly further while maintaining
the highest degree of passenger comfort and improved operating
costs," Mr Humbert continued.
The new variants of the A340 also benefit from the existing
comfort standards of the A340, with attributes such as a wide,
quiet cabin with superior air quality that allows airlines to offer
a distinctive product for each of their market requirements. The
cabin can also be configured to ensure that no passenger is ever
more than a seat away from an aisle or window.
Currently, more than 1060 A330/A340/A350 Family aircraft have
been ordered by 72 customers around the world. More than 140 Airbus
A340-500/-600s have been sold to 14 customers.
Certification of the new variant of the ultra long-range
A340-500 is due to take place in the beginning of 2007.