Airbus has recently announced that it will no longer manufacture the four-engine A340, citing dwindling sales and better twin-engine performance of its other models. The A340-600, one of the longest airliners ever built, reminded many seasoned flyers of the old Douglas DC-8 stretch models of the 1960s. While the latter had a single aisle that seemed to go on forever, the wide-body A340 featured a pair of such long aisles. But despite the long fuselage, the A340's production lifespan was shortened by a combination of economics, regulations and technology.
At the time the first A340 went into service in the early 1990s, planes with fewer than three or four engines were rarely seen over long stretches of ocean. As engine reliability improved during the decade, standards were changed to allow certain twin-engine aircraft operations over longer distances often flown exclusively by DC-10s, L-1011s, and B747s. Soon, Boeing 757s joined their larger cousins the 767s on many overseas routes long flown by aircraft with more than two engines. Today, aircraft that are certified for Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) can operate long distances with just two engines. The actual application of the rule has no correlation with long distances over water. It actually applies to the amount of time an aircraft can fly on a single engine between alternate airports designated for diverting a flight.
In less than two decades, the need to have more than two engines to reach most destinations around the world has waned. Today's engines are more powerful per unit and they run more efficiently, so fewer of them are needed to power the newest generation of passenger aircraft. One has to look no further than the same production line as the A340 to see where the future is headed. The twin-engine A330 variant still enjoys sales success despite having an identical body structure and the same flight technology as the A340.
What we are witnessing today is aviation Darwinism at its best. Airlines are no longer interested in just having the biggest and widest planes. They are looking to find the right planes for the right markets. They want the planes that can go the farthest with the most passengers. This is why we now see full B757s and even B737s crossing parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans instead of half-empty wide-bodies. It's also why, at least in the case of the 737, manufacturers are outfitting familiar models with newer, more efficient engines and wing features in lieu of creating brand new models. The cost of fuel and the airlines' needs will determine if a passenger gets to sit in a wide-body airplane with four engines on a trans-oceanic or intercontinental flight.
As the sun sets on all 247 feet (75.30m) of the A340-600, the longest planes produced today include the B777-300ER and the brand new B747-8, now the longest passenger aircraft. One of the oldest "stretch" model aircraft still flying is the Boeing 757-300. But as a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft, the 757-300 doesn't give the same sense of space as the A340. Incidentally, production of the 757 ceased in 2004.
It is sad to hear that. I love the A340 in both Air France and Iberia flights. Loved the quietness while crossing the Atlantic at 40000' and the confidence with those 4 engines.
No matter what the experts say, 4 are better than 2. Engines, I mean. Viva Mexico!
