#a340600

Airbus A340-600 South African Airways

Registration: ZS-SNG Type: A340-642 Engines: 4 × RR Trent 556-61 Serial Number: 557 First flight: Dec 16, 2003

The Airbus A340-600 is an ultra-long-range, wide-body, four-engine airliner that entered service in 2002. Measuring over 75 metres in length, it was one of the longest passenger aircraft in the world. South African Airways (SAA) operated these aircraft from 2002 to 2020, deploying them on extended international routes. All nine A340-600s in the fleet featured a two-class configuration — 42 business class seats and 275 seats in economy.

SAA acquired this aircraft type in response to growing demand for long-haul non-stop flights from South Africa. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines, the A340-600 offered a range of over 14,000 km, making it ideal for non-stop services from Johannesburg to London, Frankfurt, and similar destinations. The four-engine configuration provided reliability on routes over the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the African continent, where alternate airfields were sometimes few and far between.

However, operating the A340-600 proved economically challenging due to its significantly higher fuel consumption compared to the Airbus A330. As jet fuel prices rose, maintaining the fleet became an increasing burden for SAA, which was already facing serious financial difficulties.

As a result, the airline began phasing out the A340-600 from 2018 onwards. The COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world in 2020 first grounded all aircraft of this type, and later forced the airline to suspend all operations entirely.

Through extraordinary efforts on the part of the South African government, South African Airways survived, refocusing on domestic routes. Today, the SAA fleet consists primarily of Airbus A320s, while long-haul operations are maintained by just a handful of A330s and a couple of A340-300s — aircraft that allowed the airline to resume flights to São Paulo, Brazil, and Perth, Australia. But that is another story.

Airbus A340-600 Qatar Airways

Registration: A7-AGD Type: 340-642 Engines: 4 × RR Trent 556-61 Serial Number: 798 First flight: Frb 16, 2007

Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 150 international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013, the first Gulf carrier to sign with one of the three airline alliances. On April 30, 2019, Qatar Airways retired its last Airbus A340-600 from service after around 16 years of service. The last flight was QR835 from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport to New Doha International Airport.