Airbus (EADS) has announced the end of the A340 production line. Photo: Chris Jacobs - OPShots Contributor
Airbus parent EADS says it is pulling the plug on its four-engine A340 widebody jet.
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.”
via Airbus ‘accepts reality,’ pulls plug on the A340 – USATODAY.com.
