Time to say goodbye to Iberia's A340-600

Iberia has decided to retire its A340-600 fleet in the aftermath of the crisis caused by the coronavirus. I knew that the grounding of the A340-600 would come sooner than later, as aviation has to become more sustainable, environmental-friendlier and four-engine aircraft are not so efficient anymore. New twin-engine aircraft allow airlines to fly further, even to hot and high airports, safely and in a much more fuel-efficient way. Having worked at Iberia for nearly 24 years, I would like to pay tribute to one of my favourite aircraft. It is not only that I found it comfortable to fly on and reliable, but also I believe that it helped Iberia to offer a better service on long and medium-haul flights and also to become more efficient thanks to the commonality it offered with the A340-300, that started joining the airline's fleet in 1998.

In June 2002, Iberia signed an order with Airbus for three A340-600 to replace some of its B747. It was said that those aircraft were originally intended to join Swissair's fleet, that filed for bankruptcy in October 2001 and cancelled those orders. The first A340-600 arrived at the Spanish airline's hub at Madrid airport in June 2003. A couple of months before, Iberia had already increased its order to up to 12 additional aircraft of this type. Altogether, the airline operated 17 of these planes.

At the time the largest aircraft available, it provided savings to Iberia as it consumed less fuel than the B747 replaced by them, it offered a better operational efficiency and greater cargo capacity. Up to 15 tonnes of freight could be flown in the bellies of the A340-600: from flowers from Colombia and Ecuador, to lobsters from the US, asparagus from Peru or hake from Chile; additional to the passengers and their luggage onboard.

The A340-600 operated Iberia's busiest routes to Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Miami and New York, among others. It provided the airline with a lot of flexibility due to the commonality with its "older" brother the A340-300. Pilots and flight attendants could fly both aircraft types with the same license, while the parts, maintenance and handling tasks, as well as equipment, were the same.

The first A340-600 were equipped with three classes: First, Business and Economy Classes. Its cabin configuration changed a couple of times during the 17 years it has been in service: the previous First and Business Classes were replaced by an improved Business Class launched in 2005. In 2013, Iberia presented its new brand image and cabins on long-haul flights that included individual entertainment in the Economy cabin and a seat that turn into a 180o flat bed with a big screen in the Business Class, as well as Wifi on board. The A340-600 were refurbished in-house to offer these new classes. The latest cabin configuration came with the launch of the Premium Economy Class in April 2017.

Once I read that the A340-600 was the most elegant and beautiful plane in the world. I agree with that. It has proved to be a comfortable and reliable aircraft, a master piece of European #aerospace industry. For me, it was a pleasure to fly on them.

While I will miss Iberia's A340-600 flying over the A2 highway near Madrid airport, I will enjoy watching its A350, in my opinion a very promising aircraft, taking off or approaching that airport. Long live the A350!