The Airbus A340-300 is a 4 engined long-range aircraft from the Airbus "fly by wire" aircraft family and is assembled in Toulouse, France. Virgin Atlantic first added the A340 to its fleet in 1993. Virgin Atlantic currently operates six -300 series aircraft which typically carry 240 passengers in our 3 class configuration and have a range of over 7,000 nm. The now long established Airbus wide-body fuselage cross section is wide enough for passenger comfort but slim enough for optimum fuel efficiency. The wings for the A340, with their innovative aerodynamic design, were designed and are manufactured in the UK, by Airbus UK. The –300 is powered by four CFM International CFM56-5C2 or –5C4 engines, each delivering 31,200lb or 34,000lb of thrust respectively.