Exactly 21 years ago today, on February 11, 2002, the Airbus A340-500 made its maiden flight to become the world's longest-range commercial airliner. Developed from the earlier Airbus A340-300, the Airbus A340-500 was capable of transporting 313 passengers up to 8,500 nautical miles, allowing airlines to launch long non-stop flights, such as Singapore Airlines between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey.

Powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines the A340-500 took off on its maiden flight from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (TLS) on February 11, 2002, at 10:25 local time. After carrying out handling exercises and collecting performance data, the aircraft returned to Toulouse, having been airborne for five hours and 52 minutes. It landed safely back at TLS at 16:17 in the afternoon.

A woman was on the test flight for the first time

In command of the flight was Airbus Chief Test Pilot Jacques Rosay assisted by Experimental Test Pilot Richard Monnoyer. Other crew aboard the aircraft included flight test engineers Didier Ronceray, Sylvie Loisel-Labaste, and Bruno Bigand. Sylvie made history by becoming the first-ever woman to fly on a maiden flight for Airbus.

Photo: Tahir Hashmi via Flickr.

When speaking about how the aircraft performed and had handled as anticipated, Aero News Network quotes Jacques Rosay as saying:

"The A340-500 is 6.5 meters (21 feet) shorter than its high capacity sister, the new A340-600, that flew for the first time last April. But thanks to cockpit commonality and fly-by-wire controls, their flight handling characteristics are practically identical and indeed, like any other A330/A340 Family aircraft. We took the A340-500 up to its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.86 and the Trent 500s performed according to our expectations."

Rosay and the crew flew the plane at minimum speeds, close to a stall, through to its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.86. During the flight, they tested how the aircraft handled with the landing gear up and down. They also checked how the plane responded to various settings of the flaps. Vibrations, noise, and the aircraft's new center fuel tank were also covered during the test flight.

Emirates became the launch customer

When the plane took off from Toulouse, it weighed 617,290 pounds, of which 67,240 pounds was fuel.

Following more test flights, the A340-500, together with the A340-600, was certified on December 3, 2002, and was supposed to enter service with launch customer Air Canada. However, the Canadian national flag carrier had declared bankruptcy protection, leaving Dubai-based Emirates to become the launch customer.

Thanks to the plane's ultra-long range, Emirates used the aircraft to start its first long-haul flights between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States, flying between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

The Airbus A340-500 flew the world's longest route

First configured with a two-class, 181-passenger layout and later with an all-business class layout, Singapore Airlines used the Airbus A340-500 for flights between Singapore and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey. The 18-hour 45-minute westbound polar route saw the plane fly over the North Pole, Russia, Mongolia, and China. At the time, it was the longest non-stop flight in the world, covering a distance of 8,285 nautical miles.

Photo: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons.

Due to the high fuel cost, Singapore Airlines suspended the flight in 2013 but resurrected it again in October 2018, replacing the Airbus A340-500 with the new, more efficient twin-engine Airbus A350-900.

Source: Aero News Network