Airbus "accepts reality," pulls plug on the A340
Airbus parent EADS says it is pulling the plug on its four-engine A340 widebody jet.
FlightGlobal.com"s Jon Ostrower writes Airbus launched its A340 program "in 1987 alongside the twin-engine A330, and was a direct competitor to the long-range Boeing 777."
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Reuters says the A340 "first flew 20 years ago with a focus on routes like the 18-hour trip from Singapore to New York." However, Reuters adds Airbus" decision to push a "four engines are better than two" campaign for the A340 "backfired when airlines put their faith in twinjets like the Boeing 777."
Bloomberg News picks up on that theme, writing Airbus "saw orders for the (A340) dry up after safety regulators began allowing twin-engine models such as the Boeing 777 to fly long routes without having to stay close to emergency stopping areas."
"We have accepted reality. We have not sold any A340s for nearly two years," EADS CFO Hans Ring is quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal, which adds "sales of the four-engined plane have dried up due to rising fuel costs and (because) airlines (preferring Airbus) have switched to buy the A330 twin-jet instead."
Bloomberg provides context for Boeing"s 777, reporting that the U.S. jetmaker "has won 132 orders for the (that jet) in this year"s first 10 months and is boosting output."
And, in something of a twist, news of Airbus" decision to end A340 production comes just a day after Boeing began work on its 1,000th 777.
As for the A340, Bloomberg says there "are 365 in operation today" and adds the aircraft "held the record as the longest civil aircraft until Boeing stretched its 747-8 jumbo … ."
The news agency also adds a historical perspective on that front, writing:
Virgin founder Richard Branson posed in front of an A340 with German supermodel