Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its fi rst Airbus A340-600, the world’s longest commercial passenger aircraft. The four-engine aircraft, which has a range of 14,600 kilometres, is the fi rst of Etihad’s four A340-600s scheduled for delivery in 2007. It is also the high gross weight model which offers a maximum takeoff weight of 380 tonnes. The average cargo capacity per fl ight with a full passenger load is 18 tonnes.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “The introduction of our fi rst A340-600 will make a signifi cant impact to our long haul destinations like Sydney, New York and Toronto because it can carry more passengers and cargo than the A340-500 which we currently use on these routes.”

Etihad recently placed a new order with Airbus for a further four A340- 600’s which are scheduled for delivery between 2008 and 2009. The US$2.2 billion order, announced at the Paris air show, also included fi ve A330 passenger aircraft and three A330 freighters.