During the 80's Airbus had designed the experimental model called TA11. In January 1986 Airbus announced the development of the TA11 which was named A340. It would be a twin-aisle aircraft that would replace the older 707 and DC-8 at the distant routes which didn't need the big passenger capacity of the 747. Its range would be up to 13,000km. At the beginning A340 was planned to use the new superfan engines of IAE (International Aero Engines). A problem came up when IAE decided to stop the development of the superfan engines! So, Airbus agreed with CFM International and A340 would use the CFM56-5C4. A340 was now ready to fly.

The assembly line of A340 decided to be in Toulouse, France. Parts of the fuselage are manufactured in Germany and the wings in England. The cockpit of the A340 is a completely digital one with 6 multi-function displays. In addition, Airbus uses sidesticks instead of the classic yokes. The avionics of the aircraft are very advanced.

The A340 is offering comfort and economy at a very low cost. A brand-new communications system was designed for the aircraft, which includes telephones, fax etc. Passengers also have more space and privacy than in other competitive aircrafts because of the A340's dimensions. New entertainment systems are also available.

Recently, Airbus decided to develop 2 new versions of the A340. The A340-500 and the A340-600. These 2 new versions have the same wing which is based on the wing of the previous models but it is 5.2ft (1.6m) longer. This wing has an increased area, which means bigger fuel capacity as inside the wing there are bigger fuel tanks. Furthermore, the other serious change is the use of A330-200's larger fins and the enlarged horizontal stabilizers. To face the increased weights the central main gear has 4 wheels instead of the 2 wheels of its predecessor.

In addition the cockpit of the -500 and -600 has LCD displays instead of the CRT, which were used at the previous versions.

A340-500 is a version that offers the longest range of the world. It is an upgraded version which is bigger and has new engines, the Rolls-Royce Trent 553, which offer more power and greater range, as they consume less fuel. Distant cities that couldn't be non-stop connected can now be serviced by the new -500. Its maximum range is 16,050 km. Many airlines placed orders for the aircraft and the first -500's are being delivered. The A340-500 made its first flight on February 11, 2002

The A340-600 is the longest, largest, farthest, fastest, highest, quietest and smoothest A340! It can carry up to 400 passengers at a very low cost. It is the ultimate version of the A340 with many upgrades and a maximum range of 13,900km. It uses 4 Rolls-Royce Trent 556 that offer high speeds and very low fuel consumption . The first presentation of the A340-500/600 was at the Paris airshow in 1997.