whatever. go my plane girls. more info undercut

They faced the issue of ETOPS restrictions, basically a series of rules that limited aircraft range based on number of engines, and since they wanted to both replace the A300 and compete with the 747 and DC-10/MD-11, they basically developed a single airframe and wing for two planes

The A330, the direct successor to the A300

And the A340, the new challenger in the pacific and long-range flights.

The funny thing is, the A340 didn’t get 4 of the A330 engines, instead, as you can see, it got smaller engines, actually from the narrow body A320.

In effect just giving a tad more power and range compared to the A330, but giving us what has to be the most underpowered wide body airliner ever made, infamous for it’s long take-off runs and atrocious climb rates.

Hence why Airbus came back to its senses and actually gave it proper wide-body engines, finally creating a proper contender to the 747.

Sadly, with the end of the ETOPS restrictions and the rise of ultra-long range twin jets, the days of the A340 were counted, its production run ending in 2010.