This Is The Oldest Airbus A340 Still Flying

Ch-aviation data shows multiple active A340s that are over three decades old. The oldest A340s offer a window into the highly mobile world of Middle Eastern private and VVIP aviation services, including those of private firms and government and royal fleets. The Saudi Arabian Royal Flight owns the world’s oldest A340, aged 33.54 years at time of writing, which has changed hands multiple times.

This article reveals the handful of A340s that have reached such an astonishing age, with retirement not appearing to be in the immediate future. This includes the oldest Airbus A340flown by the Saudi royals, and the second oldest operated by a Middle Eastern VVIP private aviation service.

The World’s Oldest Recently Active A340

Ch-aviation data procured by Simple Flying reveals that the oldest A340 in active service is HZ-124, a Saudi Royal Flight aircraft. It began life as an A340-211, built by Airbus to serve as a test bed. The aircraft took its first flight on 1 April 1992, with the registration F-WWBA. The aircraft was then modified into an A340-213 in February 1997, and was sold to the Saudi Arabian Government. It was also given the new registration HZ-124.

The aircraft remained in VIP service for the Saudi government until 2012. At this point, the jet was sold to Al-Atheer Aviation. This is a provider of extremely exclusive private aviation. Al-Atheer describes itself on LinkedIn as: “focused on being the business leader in the VVIP air travel marketplace. By skillfully combining professional excellence, business integrity and the uniqueness of our Saudi culture, we offer an individual service to our discerning clientele.”

Two years later, HZ-124 was then sold on to the Saudi ArabiaRoyal Flight. Since 2019, the jet has been in and out of storage. This includes six storage periods from December 2019 to October 2022. After returning to service for 2.5 years, it has now been in storage since 9 January 2025. However, given its history, we could well see this aircraft returning to active service in the near future, even though it is now 33.5 years old.

Our Data On The Oldest A340s

A first glance at the ch-aviation data procured by Simple Flying shows that old A340s still have a decent prevalence of the widebody among Middle Eastern governments and royal families. This includes two A340s owned by the Saudi Arabian Royal Flight, one owned by QatarAmiri Flight (a VVIP airline owned and operated by the government of Qatar, which serves Qatari royals and government officials almost exclusively), and one owned by the Egyptian Air Force.

The table below includes data on the top-ten oldest A340s in service:

Another noteworthy detail of the data is how few of the A340s included have projected retirements. All ten of Lufthansa’s active A340s in the data, ranging from 29.43 to 25.25 years old, have retirement dates between November 2026 and January 2027, but none of the other carriers have revealed this information. That suggests that there is substantial life still remaining in these aging A340s.

Saudi Arabia Also Had A Unique A340

In 2007, the Saudi Arabian Government acquired the aircraft now bearing the registration HZ-HMS. This jet is an A340-8000, an ultra-long-range variant built for Brunei’s royal family. Rumor has it, the Sultan of Brunei ordered it as a gift for his brother. This jet was a derivative of the Airbus A340-200 with auxiliary fuel tanks installed. The -8000 designation referred to the maximum range of 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km), substantially further than the standard A340-200’s range of 6,700 nautical miles (12,400 km).

The jet also had its maximum takeoff weight upgraded to 275 tonnes, the same as an A340-300. The table below reveals the current makeup of the Saudi Royal Flight according to AirFleets. Please note that AirFleets’ data suggested both A340-200s were in storage. This has been amended in the table as our ch-aviation data shows both are still active:

The jet was delivered in November 1998, landing at Berlin’s Schönefeld Airfield, where it spent a year waiting to have its VIP interior installed. With the work finally completed, the aircraft never entered service with Brunei’s royal family. Instead, it remained in storage under Lufthansa Technik stewardship until its purchase by the Saudi Arabian Government. After three years flying for the government, the A340-8000 was transferred to the Saudi Arabian Royal Flight.

The Saudi Royal Flight Could Have Gone Further With Airbus Widebody Jets

Currently, the only widebody jumbo jet in the Saudi Royal Flight fleet is a Boeing 747. Yet, the Saudi royal family wanted to acquire an A380, which would have been the world’s largest private jet. Even though all Airbus’ jets are offered as private options through the Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) program, this has never been executed for an A380. This would have changed had the order made for one in 2007 by His Royal Highness Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of Saudi Arabia been fulfilled.

With the vast amount of space, the envisioned cabin would have been like nothing else on the market. Plans were made for a main deck of 20 VIP suites and an upper deck with five larger cabins, featuring king-sized beds and luxury private bathrooms. Alongside the living facilities, the jet would also have included a car garage, Turkish bath, concert hall (completed with a grand piano), and multiple conference rooms. Private aviation firms and thought leaders continue to envision a private A380 – one such prototype is explored in the Instagram post below:

However, the private A380 was never delivered. AIN reported the order was canceled for good in 2015. An Airbus spokesperson told the outlet: “The aircraft was originally a flight-test A380. A few years after the 2007 order, Al Waleed resold the aircraft. Time passed and the aircraft was sitting in Toulouse, without any passenger equipment, without being delivered.”

The Second-Oldest Active A340

The second-oldest active A340 is HZ-SKY1, one of two A340s owned by the Saudi Arabian private charter airline Alpha Star Aviation. This carrier provides VIP private aviation services alongside occasional air ambulance work. This jet has an incredibly storied past. It was initially delivered to Lufthansa in March 1993, but never entered into service as it was sold on to the Brunei Government later that month. While in service for the Brunei Government, the aircraft went through three registrations: V8-BKH, V8-JP1, and V8-AM1.

The jet then transitioned into Jordanian hands in August 2000, owned by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This was the first time the jet flew as a luxury private airliner. While under Kingdom of Jordan ownership, the jet, now registered JY-ABH, was operated by Royal Jordanian. After nine years in this service, the jet transitioned to Ajwa Aviation, its first Saudi owner (registration HZ-AJ1). Ajwa Aviation describes itself as a leading provider of consulting services to the business aviation industry in the Middle East.

Five years later, ownership transferred to Alpha Star for the first time, but it only remained in the Alpha Star fleet for two years, after which Sky Prime Aviation, another Saudi private charter service, bought the jet. Sky Prime Aviation operated this jet, now registered HZ-SKY1 until 2023. Its ownership of this A340-200 was marked by a number of extended storage periods, after which it returned into Alpha Star hands. The charter firm has opted to keep the Sky Prime Aviation registration.

What Is The Oldest A340 In Active Commercial Service?

Just two A340s over 30 years old are operated by commercial airlines. This includes EP-MJC (Mahan Air) and YV3554 ( Conviasa). The older of the two is Mahan Air’s jet, aged 30.7 years old. This is one of nine A340s that the Iranian airline flies, and a further six are in storage. One more jet is expected to arrive in the fleet, showing some confidence that the carrier can continue to profit from operating the A340.

Meanwhile, EP-MJC, aged 30.68 years old, is the second oldest A340 in commercial aviation. It is operated by the highly controversial Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa. In January 2025, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against Ramón Celestino Velásquez Araguayán (Velásquez), Venezuela’s Minister of Transportation and the chief executive officer of Conviasa. The Treasury cited direct connections between the Nicolás Maduro regime and Conviasa as justification.