SIA Takes First High Gross Weight A340-300E

In addition Airbus is now offering A340-300E customers a further extended max takeoff weight of 275 tonnes. When Airbus first offered the high gross weight A340 it promised a max takeoff weight of 271 tonnes. As development work progressed Airbus found it could increase that figure by an extra four tonnes and so the basic A340-300E has been certificated with 271 tonne max takeoff weight, with a 275 tonnes max takeoff weight offered as an option.

The extra weight option comes at a greater cost to customers even though the two A340-300E versions are identical except for their certificated MTOW. Airbus says that while the customers wouldn’t be paying for any physical change to the aircraft, they would be paying for the extra capability the 275 tonne MTOW offers. These extra four tonnes either allows the -300E to carry an extra 2.5 tonnes of payload over a given distance (over the 271t A340-300E), or carry the same payload a further 200nm (370km).

The A340-300E’s extra range is in part courtesy of an additional 3000 litres of fuel compared with the A340-300 and a 2% reduction in drag due to minor changes to the engine pylons, the wing fuselage join and wing flexing. Extra power is provided by four 34,000lb (152.3kN) CFM56-5C4 turbofans (the most powerful CFM56s), which also give the A340-300E a better climb rate over the A340-300.

Singapore Airlines has continued its tradition of giving its aircraft types names with the A340, naming it the Celestar. (The 747-300 is called the Big Top, the 747-400 the Mega Top. The name Bus Top for the A340 was rejected!)

SIA’s A340s are being equipped with only 267 seats in three classes (compared with the basic A340-300 three class configuration of 295). Seating pitch in three classes is among the most generous in the industry (74in/188cm in First and 48in/122cm in Raffles/business) and the aircraft are fitted with SIA’s Krisworld inflight entertainment system with a personal video screen and credit card operated telephone for each passenger in all three classes.

SIA is already flying the A340 on daily services to Melbourne, while from July the type will be used to increase services to Sydney to twice daily (in conjunction with 747-400s). Auckland is also scheduled to get A340 services. However, the focus of SIA’s A340 operations will be to Europe. The A340 will allow SIA to offer daily nonstop flights to major European centres. Paris will be the first European city to see SIA A340s, from later this year.

The marketing advantage these nonstop Singapore/Europe flights give SIA will be considerable. In Australia these nonstop flights will allow SIA to offer one stop daily services to several major and medium sized European cities. Something that Qantas cannot offer.