Posted on: Saturday, March 24, 2001

Airbus rolls out new A340 long-range aircraft

Associated Press

TOULOUSE, France ­ Airbus Industrie rolled its new A340-600 out of the factory yesterday, hailing the latest in its fleet of long-range planes as its "longest and largest airliner yet."

The A340-600 is one of two long-haul models conceived in 1997. It and the A340-500 are expected to begin commercial flights next year. The two new planes have 127 firm orders and commitments from 11 customers.

The A340-600, shown yesterday to customers and suppliers at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, marks the European consortium's latest attempt at beating rival Boeing Co. in the battle for the skies.

Since its creation in 1972, Airbus has been closing the gap with Boeing and last year reported significantly more aircraft orders for the first time.

When Airbus' A380 enters the skies in 2006, it will surpass Boeing's 747 as the world's largest passenger plane. With the capacity to hold 380 passengers in three classes and cruise 8,630 miles nonstop, the A340-600 will be Airbus' largest four-engine wide body. Each plane costs between $174.4 million and $181.5 million.

The A340-600 will make its inaugural flight in late April, and will be delivered to its first client, Virgin Atlantic, in June 2002.

Boeing's 777-200 still surpasses its Airbus competitor in range, cruising 10,195 miles nonstop. It, however, can carry only 305 passengers.