What Were The Airbus A340-300E _ A340-300 Enhanced_

When it comes to aircraft models and their naming, most of us are familiar with the main types and the main variants. For the now-out-of-production, four-engined Airbus A340, the main variants were the Dash 200, Dash 300, Dash 500, and Dash 600. But when suffixes start to be added to those variants, well, that's perhaps a higher level of avgeekery. One such example is the A340-300E. Do you know anything about it? Well, if not, let us explain it for you. The Airbus A340-300E was essentially an extended-range model of the A340-300. Certified with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 275 metric tons, this was an increase from earlier Dash 300 models which had MTOWs between 253.5 to 260 metric tons. The Dash 300E was powered by the more powerful CFM56-5C4 engines. These had 34,000 lbf thrust. The variant also had higher gross weight frames with a centerline fuel tank, strengthened wing, and the tail enhancements from the A330-200. Singapore Airlines was the worldwide launch customer for the Airbus A340-300E, and the carrier took delivery of the world's first two such aircraft on April 25th, 1996. The website Business Today reported that the two aircraft were received officially by the airline's managing director at a ceremony at Airbus's Toulouse facilities. Speaking at the delivery event, the airline executive stated, "...we rate the aircraft highly in terms of economy, modernity and comfort. It is a star performer in all categories. Inspired by this, we have decided to name our A340-300E the seller star. We believe this aircraft will truly be a star of the skies." Business Today adds that the first couple A340-300Es operated by Singapore Airlines had early destinations such as Bangkok, Jakarta, and Melbourne, followed later by Sydney. The jet was then used to operate non-stop services to Paris. The Singapore Airlines A340-300E had several firsts in the areas of passenger comfort and entertainment. The aircraft were fitted with the carrier's new in-flight entertainment system in all three classes. This system, relatively new at the time, offered 22 video channels, 12 audio channels, 10 Nintendo games, real-time text news, and destinations information on 16 cities in Singapore Airlines' route network. There was also a personal in-seat telephone allowing for calls virtually anywhere in the world. The A340-300E should not be confused with the A340-300 Enhanced, as easy as it would be to think that they were the same model. The A340-300 Enhanced was first delivered to South African Airways in 2003, and was fitted with CFM56-5C-P engines. The engines would provide more range, better fuel burn, and lower maintenance costs. It also had improved avionics and fly-by-wire systems developed for the A340-500 and A340-600. So, did you know about these later A340-300 variants? Let us know by leaving a comment.