Venezuelan carrier Conviasa appears to have scrapped its sole Airbus A340-200, the last aircraft of its type worldwide still involved in passenger operations. Having last flown in March, the quadjet has reportedly been cannibalized for parts in Tehran.
The end of A340-200 passenger services
The final Airbus A340-200 to operate passenger flights looks to have been scrapped by Conviasa after spending the last six months in storage. The aircraft (registration: YV1004) was recently pictured at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) stripped of its paint and with at least one of its engines dismantled.
It is still unclear what exactly Conviasa's plans are for the plane, although the most likely scenario is that it has been scrapped for parts. While there are still other A340-200s in operation today, Conviasa's -200 was the last of its type to conduct passenger services. The widebody operated its final passenger flight on March 16th from Caracas to Tehran and has sat in storage in Iran ever since.
Conviasa is evidently still keen on the A340 - the airline welcomed two A340-600s to its fleet this summer and is still seeking Airbus A340 pilots. While it may have called time on its -200 variant, Conviasa continues to operate one Airbus A340-300 and two Airbus A340-600s.
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About YV1004
Conviasa's A340-200 has been with the Venezuelan airline since 2007. The 29-year-old widebody entered service with Air France in 1993 and has also enjoyed spells at Air Tahiti Nui and Air Europa.
The jet has been deployed intermittently by Conviasa and spent long periods on the sidelines, including a four-year spell in storage at Simón Bolívar International Airport between 2015 and 2019. In total, YV1004 has spent approximately six of its fifteen years at Conviasa out of service.
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The Airbus A340 program
Airbus ended all A340 production over a decade ago having delivered 377 planes since the program launched in the early 1990s. The Airbus A340 program consisted of four variants - the Airbus A340-200 was the shortest at 59.4 meters long, followed by the -300, -500 and -600. The -200 was also the least-built variant, with Airbus manufacturing just 28.
Airways Magazine reports that there are five other A340-200s currently active - two with the Saudi Arabian Government, one with the Egyptian Air Force, one with the Libyan Government, and one with government-owned Qatar Amiri Flight.
Simple Flying took a look at the Airbus A340 in 2022. There are fewer than 80 A340s still in operation today, with Lufthansa coming in as the largest operator at 20 active A340s (16 -300s and four -600s) and another seven parked.
What is the most memorable journey you have completed on an Airbus A340-200? Let us know your stories in the comments.
Source: Airways Magazine