A340-500 AIR CANADA MODEL

The A340-500 is the worlds longest-range commercial airliner.

A340-500s maiden flight was on February 11, 2002 and it received certification on December 3, 2002 and was delivered to Emirates Airline. The A340-500 has a seating capacity of 313 passengers in a three class cabin. The A340-500 features a 4.3 m stretched fuselage, an enlarged wing area, massive increase in fuel capacity, slightly higher cruising speed, larger horizontal stabilizer and smaller vertical tailplane. It also has taxi cameras to help pilots during ground maneuvers. The A340-500 is powered by four 53,000 lb thrust Rolls-Royce Trent 553 turbofans.

The A340-500 is capable of traveling non-stop from London to Perth, Australia, though a return flight requires a fuel stop due to headwinds. Thai Airways International also had flown the A340-500 non-stop from Bangkok to Los Angeles and Bangkok to New York. The most recent customer of the A340-400 is the Etihad Airways. Emirates Airline is the largest operator of the A340-400, with 10 aircraft in service. In February 2006, the 777-200LR entered service, replacing the A340-500 as the worlds longest-range commercial airliner.