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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The A340 shared substantial programme work with the A330 but used four engines for long-haul operations. The initial -200 and -300 were followed by the much larger -500 and -600 developments, which brought different engines and significant airframe changes. The A340-600 has its own dimensions, fuel system and equipment.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Finding a runway in a white landscape
Mirpuri's log follows the 2 November 2021 flight of A340-313HGW 9H-SOL from Cape Town to Wolf's Fang. Preparation had taken months, including an advance visit by another captain. Much of the equipment needed to establish the season's operation travelled in the aircraft's own hold. During the flight, updated weather and runway-friction reports helped the crew confirm that conditions remained suitable.
Hi Fly, 22 November 2021. Firsthand captain’s log of 2 November 2021; A340-313HGW Antarctic operation. Airline promotional context retained.
Hi Fly · Read more ↗Control-law changes are tracked by release
The A340 change history distinguishes normal-law Alpha Floor, alternate-law high-speed stability and later yaw-control corrections. It also separates X-Plane 11-specific fixes from other changes. The reviewed August 2026 release is v1.6.1 build 1696.
A340-600 · ToLiss · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
ToLiss · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Just Planes · 96 min ·
Airbus A340 Indian Ocean crossing Jo'burg to Perth | Full Cockpit Flight
A South African Airways A340 flight across the Indian Ocean, filmed from the cockpit.
Real aircraft · Airbus A340
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Airbus A340
The A340 shared substantial programme work with the A330 but used four engines for long-haul operations. The initial -200 and -300 were followed by the much larger -500 and -600 developments, which brought different engines and significant airframe changes.
The A340-600 has its own dimensions, fuel system and equipment. ToLiss's simulator documentation describes the specific flight-control and hydraulic modelling of its implementation.
Airbus A340-600
Airbus → · Explore the family →
Airbus A340-600
Wikipedia contributors · Airbus A340 ↗ToLiss · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12 →A340-300 Passenger
iniBuilds · Simbrief Profiles - A340 Airliner - FAQs - iniBuilds Forum ↗iniBuilds · MSFS 2024 →A340-300 Preighter
iniBuilds · Simbrief Profiles - A340 Airliner - FAQs - iniBuilds Forum ↗iniBuilds · MSFS 2024 →A340-300 VIP
iniBuilds · Simbrief Profiles - A340 Airliner - FAQs - iniBuilds Forum ↗iniBuilds · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: 25 October 1991 ( 1991-10-25 )
Developed from: Airbus A300
Wikipedia contributors · Airbus A340 ↗Airbus A340 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373352164
Pilot accounts
Finding a runway in a white landscape
Mirpuri's log follows the 2 November 2021 flight of A340-313HGW 9H-SOL from Cape Town to Wolf's Fang. Preparation had taken months, including an advance visit by another captain. Much of the equipment needed to establish the season's operation travelled in the aircraft's own hold. During the flight, updated weather and runway-friction reports helped the crew confirm that conditions remained suitable.
The final approach presented a distinctive visual problem: the ice runway blended into the surrounding white landscape, making height judgement difficult. Mirpuri describes the intense reflection, the importance of the monitoring pilot's calls and the satisfaction of a landing that matched the plan. Applause from the cabin followed as the aircraft slowed. The crew then inspected the setting on foot before an uneventful return. This airline-published account attributes the result to preparation, ground support and crew coordination as well as the aircraft.
Hi Fly, 22 November 2021. Firsthand captain’s log of 2 November 2021; A340-313HGW Antarctic operation. Airline promotional context retained.
Read the full account · Hi Fly ↗Teaching the next crew, and learning from them
In their conversation for Iberia, Ordovás recalls moving through the 727 and A320 before travelling to Miami for A340 training. By the time of the interview, he was an instructor and examiner on the A330 and A340. Menéndez, his friend and former colleague, had taught successive generations of pilots and continued instructing after his airline retirement. Their families' flying careers had crossed repeatedly.
They discuss how instruction had developed beyond technical drills to include judgement, attitudes and cooperation. Ordovás valued the humility needed to identify weaknesses and improve them, while Menéndez felt that teaching gave him energy in return. Both describe professional simulators as convincing enough to produce the physical reactions of a real flight. The joint interview concerns the careers and training work of instructors associated with the A340.
Iberia Ronda, November 2017, pages 91–94. Joint conversation with A330/A340 instructors; career and professional-training context, rather than a particular A340 flight.
Read the full account · Iberia Ronda ↗Long-haul flying, changing technology and life between countries
Lindegren describes a career that eventually brought him to the A330 and A340 after the DC-9, MD-11 and A320. In Remo Müller's SWISS profile, he reflects on the continuing need to adapt as paper manuals gave way to tablets and younger colleagues arrived fluent in the new tools. Long-haul flying had captivated him during what was meant to be a temporary assignment to Swissair, and he stayed.
The appeal came with costs. Maintaining a working life in Switzerland while his family lived in Sweden meant missing ordinary time together, as well as visiting distant cities. Near retirement from permanent employment, he was preparing a final rostered trip with friends as his crew and arranging to continue part-time flying. This is a personal account of an A330/A340 captain's working life; the interview does not identify every recalled journey with one specific aircraft variant.
SWISS Magazine, 15 May 2026. Airline-published career interview with an A330/A340 captain; mixed-fleet context is explicit, not an A340 handling evaluation.
Read the full account · SWISS Magazine ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12A340-600
ToLiss · Released
A340-600
ToLiss · Released
MSFS 2024A340 Airliner
iniBuilds · Released
A340 Airliner
iniBuilds · Released
X-Plane 12A340
JARDesign · Released
A340
JARDesign · Released
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024A340-600 Pro
ToLiss / Aerosoft · Released
A340-600 Pro
ToLiss / Aerosoft · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Control-law changes are tracked by releaseA340-600 · ToLiss · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The A340 change history distinguishes normal-law Alpha Floor, alternate-law high-speed stability and later yaw-control corrections. It also separates X-Plane 11-specific fixes from other changes. The reviewed August 2026 release is v1.6.1 build 1696.
A340-600 v1.6.1 · v1.4.2, v1.5, v1.6.1
ToLiss · Read the source ↗Hydraulic failures change what surfaces can doA340-600 · ToLiss · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
ToLiss describes hydraulic-actuator flow, hinge moments and control surfaces that can float after failures. The A340 also models reversion between fly-by-wire laws. Surface response changes with the simulated hydraulic and control-law state.
A340-600 product specification · Accurate systems
ToLiss via authorized store · Read the source ↗Released product and variantsA340 Airliner · iniBuilds · MSFS 2024
The released A340-300 package includes Passenger, Preighter and VIP configurations. Both EIS1 CRT and EIS2 LCD cockpit displays are represented. The developer supplies a separate SimBrief profile for each cabin configuration.
Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Finding a runway in a white landscapeHi Fly, 22 November 2021. Firsthand captain’s log of 2 November 2021; A340-313HGW Antarctic operation. Airline promotional context retained.
Mirpuri's log follows the 2 November 2021 flight of A340-313HGW 9H-SOL from Cape Town to Wolf's Fang. Preparation had taken months, including an advance visit by another captain. Much of the equipment needed to establish the season's operation travelled in the aircraft's own hold. During the flight, updated weather and runway-friction reports helped the crew confirm that conditions remained suitable.
Carlos Mirpuri
Hi Fly · Read the source ↗Teaching the next crew, and learning from themIberia Ronda, November 2017, pages 91–94. Joint conversation with A330/A340 instructors; career and professional-training context, rather than a particular A340 flight.
In their conversation for Iberia, Ordovás recalls moving through the 727 and A320 before travelling to Miami for A340 training. By the time of the interview, he was an instructor and examiner on the A330 and A340. Menéndez, his friend and former colleague, had taught successive generations of pilots and continued instructing after his airline retirement. Their families' flying careers had crossed repeatedly.
José María Ordovás and Ventura Menéndez
Iberia Ronda · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
A340 — product listingA340 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
store.x-plane.org · Read the source ↗A340-600 Pro — product listingA340-600 Pro · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
Contrail · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
X-Plane aircraft and avionics manualsLaminar ResearchAircraft background
Airbus A340Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373352164 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
A340-600 productToLiss ToLiss A340-600 change logToLiss ToLiss A340-600 published specificationToLiss via authorized storeProduct
A340 Airliner for MSFS-2024iniBuilds · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 JARDesign 340-500 Airliner-JARDesign-JD340store.x-plane.org · Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue A340-600 Pro MSFS20/24 by Aerosoft / ToLiss | Contrail ShopContrail · Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueDeveloper documentation
Simbrief Profiles - A340 Airliner - FAQs - iniBuilds ForuminiBuilds · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 7 profile choices
Aerosoft / ToLiss A340-600 Pro
ToLiss / Aerosoft · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Aerosoft / ToLiss A340-600 Pro: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
iniBuilds A340-300
iniBuilds · Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2024
iniBuilds A340-300: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
JARDesign Airbus A340-500
JARDesign · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
JARDesign Airbus A340-500: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
ToLiss A340-600
ToLiss · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
ToLiss A340-600: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
Airbus A340-300
Free and Pro · Revision 4 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Airbus A340-300: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
Airbus A340-600
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
Airbus A340-600: The selected fixed spring approximates passive sidestick resistance; actuator hinge moments are not passed through as direct hand forces.
Airbus A340-500
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
A four-engine Airbus wide-body developed in parallel with the A330.
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