The last scheduled airline passenger flight by the A340-500 was operated by AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines on March 30th from Dubai back to Baku. It is possible flights will still be scheduled, or at least for unplanned substitutions to occur.
The A340-500 still has a role globally. There are still aircraft operated by governments, air forces, and otherwise. Just not on a scheduled airline passenger basis – for now, anyway.
AZAL isn't using the A340-500
According to OAG and Cirium, AZAL has no flights by the Airbus quadjet across the rest of the year. Of course, this might be temporary, and it's probable that at least one example will be recalled to service if needed.
Indeed, Flightradar24 shows that one of its two A340-500s flew relatively recently, with ch-aviation.com indicating it is now in maintenance:
- 4K-AZ85: last flew on March 30th, 2022, from Baku to Dubai and back. It is currently in maintenance
- 4K-AZ86: last flew on December 1st, 2020, from Ankara to Baku. It is stored
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19 years old
While AZAL's two A340-500s average 14.2 years, the variant is 19 years old. It entered commercial service in 2003 and had the longest flight envelope of any widebody commercial aircraft.
Its four engines were vital. They meant it was exempt from restrictive extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards (ETOPS) legislation. Brand-new, ultra-long-haul routes could be operated non-stop, then a revolutionary concept.
In 2004, Singapore Airlines launched Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark using the A340-500. At 9,534 miles (15,344km), Newark was the world's longest route.
Although Singapore Airlines' A340s are long gone, Singapore-Newark is now the world's second-longest airport pair, marginally behind Singapore-JFK. It is now operated by 161-seat A350-900ULRs, with seats in business and premium economy – and none in regular economy.
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Always a small market it
Despite pushing the range boundary, the A340-500 was never popular. Designed for a limited role, it necessarily meant that its market was minimal. As such, very few airlines used it.
Ultra-long-haul is exceptionally hard to work in the best times with low fuel prices and a strong economy, let alone with gas-guzzling four-engine aircraft whose performance was in doubt.
Then came the B777-200LR, a more cost-efficient twin, which effectively ended the A340-500 program. And now there's the A350-900ULR and A350-1000, the latter to be used by Qantas non-stop from Sydney to London and beyond.
Have you flown the A340-500? If so, share your experiences by commenting.