Lufthansa became the launch customer for the Airbus A340 and entered the aircraft into service in 1993.
The four-engine A340 was developed for long-haul routes and entered airline service with Lufthansa on 15 March 1993. The aircraft used a wide-body fuselage shared with the twin-engine Airbus A330, but its four engines allowed it to serve long routes under the operating rules of the period.
Lufthansa's first A340-300 flights helped establish the type as a long-range replacement for older wide-body aircraft. The A340 later appeared in several versions, including the shorter A340-200 and the larger A340-500 and A340-600.
The A340 is sometimes confused with the A330 because the two aircraft share much of their design. The key visible distinction is the number of engines: the A340 has four, while the A330 has two. Airbus ended A340 production in 2011.