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Northwest Airlines cancels Airbus A340 order amid financial challenges

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Northwest Airlines cancels Airbus A340 order amid financial challenges
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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

Airbus first began developing the A340 in the 1970s, aiming to create a competitive aircraft against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. The A340 was introduced as a replacement for older models like the Boeing 707-300 and Douglas DC-8. The initial manufacturing of the A340 commenced in 1982 with two variants, -200 and -300, followed by additional versions, -500 and -600.

According to Airbus, these variants could accommodate between 250 to 475 passengers and had an extended range of up to 9,000 nautical miles. The aircraft's quad-engine design allowed it to fly longer over-water routes without needing additional certification typically required for twin-engine planes.

The A340 featured modern cockpits with fly-by-wire controls and shared many structural similarities with the A330. This similarity enabled pilots trained on the A330 to transition easily to flying the A340 with minimal additional training.

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Lufthansa and Air France were among the first airlines to receive deliveries of the initial variants. Lufthansa continues operating its fleet today on some US-bound flights. Other airlines such as SWISS, Edelweiss, and South African Airways also maintain operations with this model.

Northwest Airlines was notably the first North American airline to place an order for both A340s and A330s in March 1987. The order included 20 firm orders for the quadjet alongside ten options for the A330. Jean Pierson, then-president of Airbus, expressed satisfaction at Northwest's decision: "We are extremely pleased that a highly demanding airline such as Northwest is a launch customer for the A340."

However, complications arose when IAE SuperFan withdrew from providing engines needed by Northwest, prompting Airbus to switch to CFM56 engines—less powerful than initially planned. As a result of these changes and subsequent financial constraints due in part to the Gulf War, Northwest canceled its order five years later.

Continental Airlines also placed significant orders through its parent company Texas Air Corp in November 1989 for both Airbus models valued at approximately $4.5 billion but ultimately did not take delivery of any ordered units due primarily again due largely related reasons stemming from entering bankruptcy proceedings shortly thereafter amidst rising fuel costs attributed partially back towards impacts felt globally following events unfolding during Gulf conflict period further exacerbated ongoing economic pressures facing industry sector broadly speaking at time too...

Frank Lorenzo highlighted strategic intentions behind original purchase agreement: “These aircraft place us in strong position capitalize new exciting opportunities growth Pacific Europe particular result recently signed US-Japan bilateral agreement.”

Despite ambitious plans outlined earlier regarding expansion efforts involving acquisition assets including route sales negotiations conducted American Airlines Delta others however unfortunately circumstances dictated otherwise leading eventual cessation activities concerning aforementioned deals ultimately concluding altogether without fruition anticipated outcomes originally envisioned prior commencement said transactions taking place therein context discussed hereinabove noted report documentation cited sources consulted reference purposes illustration informative coverage subject matter addressed herewith conveyed effectively adequately sufficiently manner deemed appropriate necessary fulfillment objectives stipulated parameters guidelines established basis foundation underlying composition narrative presented accordingly respective audience readership target demographic segment market analysis considerations taken account factor determination evaluation assessment conclusions 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Organizations Included in this History
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