Editing Airbus A340 (section)

===A340-500===
[[File:A6-ERF Airbus A340 Emirates (7604169374).jpg|thumb|Slightly longer than the −300, the −500 has a larger wing, larger [[Rolls-Royce Trent 500]] turbofans and three 4-wheel bogies for the main landing gear, it was introduced by [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] in 2003.]]

When the A340-500 was introduced, it was the world's longest-range commercial airliner. It first flew on 11 February 2002 and was certified on 3 December 2002. [[Air Canada]] was supposed to be the launch customer but filed for bankruptcy in January 2003, delaying delivery to March. This allowed early deliveries to the new launch customer, [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]], allowing the carrier to launch nonstop service from Dubai to New York—its first route in the Americas. The A340-500 can fly 313 passengers in a three-class cabin layout over 16020&nbsp;km (8650&nbsp;nm). Compared with the A340-300, the −500 features a {{convert|4.3|m|ft|adj=on|1}} fuselage stretch, an enlarged wing, a significant increase in fuel capacity (around 50% larger than the −300), slightly higher [[cruising speed]], a larger [[Tailplane|horizontal stabiliser]] and a larger [[Empennage|vertical tailplane]]. The centerline main landing gear was changed to a four-wheel bogie to support the additional weight. The A340-500 is powered by four {{cvt|240|kN|lbf}} thrust [[Rolls-Royce Trent 500|Rolls-Royce Trent 553]] turbofans and uses the Honeywell 331–600[A] APU.<ref name="https">{{cite web|url=https://commerce.honeywell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ECategoryDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10651&categoryId=31954&langId=-1 |access-date=18 November 2010 |title=Product Catalog |publisher=Honeywell |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712215900/https://commerce.honeywell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ECategoryDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10651&categoryId=31954&langId=-1 |archive-date=12 July 2011}}</ref>

Designed for [[ultra long-haul|ultra-long-haul]] routes, the −500 has a range of 9,000 nautical miles.<ref name=500specs>{{cite web |title=A340-500 Specifications |publisher=Airbus |url=http://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengeraircraft/a340family/a340-500/specifications/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122085922/http://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengeraircraft/a340family/a340-500/specifications/ |archive-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> Due to its range, the −500 is capable of travelling non-stop from [[Heathrow Airport|London]] to [[Perth Airport|Perth, Western Australia]], though a return flight requires a fuel stop due to [[headwind]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/jun/29/theairlineindustry.travelnews|date=29 June 2004|access-date=3 February 2010|title=Record longest flight flies in the face of its critics|work=The Guardian |location=UK |first=Andrew |last=Clark}}</ref> [[Singapore Airlines]] used this model (initially in a two-class 181-passenger layout, later in a 100-passenger business-only layout) between early 2004 and late 2013 for its [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]]–[[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]] and Singapore–Newark [[non-stop flight|nonstop routes]] [[Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22|SQ21 and SQ22]]. The former was an 18-hour, 45-minute 'westbound' (actually a [[polar route]] northbound to 130&nbsp;km (70&nbsp;nm) across the North Pole, then south across Russia, [[Mongolia]] and the People's Republic of China) and the latter was an 18-hour, 30-minute eastbound, {{convert|15344|km|nmi mi}} journey. At the time, the flight was the longest-scheduled [[Non-stop flight|non-stop commercial flight]] in the world.<ref name="CNN long flight">{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/06/28/singapore.airline/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225022217/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/06/28/singapore.airline/|archive-date=25 December 2007|title=Singapore Air makes longest flight|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name=BloombergJBachman>{{cite news|last1=Bachman|first1=Justin|title=The End of the World's Longest Nonstop Flights|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-21/singapore-airlines-ends-longest-commercial-flights-from-newark-and-los-angeles|access-date=6 April 2017|agency=Bloomberg|date=21 October 2013}}</ref> [[Singapore Airlines]] even added a special compartment to the aircraft to store a corpse if a passenger were to die during the flight, though it was reported that its use had not been necessary.<ref>{{cite news |title=Airline's new fleet includes a cupboard for corpses |author=Andrew Clark |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/may/11/theairlineindustry.travelnews |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 May 2004 |access-date=11 May 2012}}</ref><ref name=BloombergJBachman/> Singapore Airlines suspended operating the flight from 2013 onwards partly due to high fuel prices at that time and returned its aircraft to Airbus in exchange for ordering new [[Airbus A350]] aircraft.<ref name=BloombergJBachman/> The SQ21/SQ22 route was eventually resumed, flown by [[A350-900ULR]] aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/ca/media-centre/press-release/article/?q=en_UK/2018/April-June/ne2018-180530|title=Singapore Airlines To Launch World's Longest Commercial Flights|website=Singapore Airlines}}</ref>

The A340-500IGW (Increased Gross Weight) version has a range of {{cvt|17000|km|nmi mi}} and a [[Maximum Takeoff Weight|MTOW]] of {{cvt|380|t|lb}} and first flew on 13 October 2006. It uses the strengthened structure and enlarged fuel capacity of the A340-600. The certification aircraft, a de-rated A340-541 model, became the first delivery to [[Thai Airways International]], on 11 April 2007.<ref>[http://www.jetphotos.net/census/aircraft2.php?msnid=A330/40-775 Jetphotos Airbus A340-541HGW HS-TLD] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919184634/http://www.jetphotos.net/census/aircraft2.php?msnid=A330%2F40-775 |date=19 September 2016}} JetPhotos.net</ref> Nigerian airline [[Arik Air]] received a pair of A340-542s in November 2008, using the type to launch two new routes immediately [[Lagos]]–London Heathrow and Lagos–Johannesburg; a non-stop Lagos–New York route began in January 2010.<ref name="Kingfisher Purchases Five Airbus A340-500">[http://www.flykingfisher.com/media-center/archives.aspx Kingfisher Purchases Five Airbus A340-500] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012094629/http://www.flykingfisher.com/media-center/archives.aspx |date=12 October 2014}} ''[[flykingfisher.com]]''</ref><ref>{{Cite press release|title=Kingfisher grows its Airbus fleet with purchase of five A340-500|publisher=Airbus|date=24 April 2006|url=http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release/detail/kingfisher-grows-its-airbus-fleet-with-purchase-of-five-a340-500/news-period/1143842400/2591999/archived/news-category/press_release/|access-date=10 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203234248/http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release/detail/kingfisher-grows-its-airbus-fleet-with-purchase-of-five-a340-500/news-period/1143842400/2591999/archived/news-category/press_release/|archive-date=3 December 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The A340-500IGW is powered by four {{cvt|250|kN|lbf}} thrust [[Rolls-Royce Trent 500|Rolls-Royce Trent 556]] turbofans.

The A340-500 proved to be unpopular with customers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://leehamnews.com/2013/12/08/airbus-engine-oems-make-the-case-for-a340-future/|title=Airbus, engine OEMs make the case for A340 future – Leeham News and Comment|date=8 December 2013}}</ref> This was primarily attributed to its perceived inefficiency, as it carried a relatively low number of passengers while still retaining most of the heavy structural elements of its larger sibling, the A340-600, from which it was derived. Furthermore, operating in the specialized [[ultra long-haul]] market proved challenging, given the substantial fuel load required for such extended flights, making it a segment where profitability was hard to achieve.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

As of May 2025, there are no longer any commercial A340-500 in service.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Jacopo Prisco |title=The Airbus A340 airplane was built to rule long-haul travel. Now it's vanishing from the skies |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/the-a340-vanishing/ |website=CNN |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=15 May 2024 |language=English |date=3 May 2024 }}</ref> The remaining A340-500 are currently operating private service or as government planes, such as [[Las Vegas Sands]] and [[Qatar Amiri Flight]].