The Airbus A340-500 is a rare aircraft, with only 34 built, and currently operated exclusively by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

While the A380 superjumbo is enjoying a resurgence, its four-engined older sibling – the A340 – seems dangerously close to being grounded for good.

Airbus launched the A330 and A340, with the latter taking its first maiden flight in October 1991. The plane was subsequently certified in December 1992, taking off for commercial use in March 1993.

A Lufthansa A340-600 aircraft was ferried empty and at low altitude across the Atlantic for repairs at its Frankfurt base ...

In turn, Airbus' current bread and butter aircraft, the narrow-body, twin-jet A320 family, complete with new-fangled, fly-by-wire controls, entered service with Air France in 1988 after a lengthy ...

Airbus' A340 family is a little less varied and includes a 200, 300, 500, and 600 series. While the smaller of the two families are closer in specs, there's more of a discrepancy between the ...

Airbus has delivered a total of 377 A340s, including 246 CFM56-powered A340-200/300s and 131 R-R Trent 500 powered -500/600s. It is currently remarketing 16 A340s, including seven -300s, four ...

A Hi Fly Malta Airbus A340-500. Getty Images The A340-500 was the world's longest-range passenger plane when it was first introduced in 2002. The aircraft has a maximum range of 9,000 ...

For the first time in history, an Airbus A340 plane has landed on Antarctica. Hi Fly, a boutique aviation company, was behind the flight. The company specializes in wet leases, which means they ...

Despite the lackluster commercial response, Airbus had high hopes for the A340, which was meant to replace aging Boeing 747s and DC-10s, and was touted as having an unbeatable range.

Despite the lackluster commercial response, Airbus had high hopes for the A340, which was meant to replace aging Boeing 747s and DC-10s, and was touted as having an unbeatable range.