MIAMI — Iberia has retired its last Airbus A340-300 in service. The last scheduled flight of the airliner took place on October 31, serving the Panama City – Madrid route as IB6346.

The first Iberia A340-300 joined Iberia fleet on February 29, 1996. At that time, the carrier’s long-haul fleet was comprised by the Boeing 747 and the DC-10-30, both subsequently replaced by the Airbus A340-300, and lately by the A340-600.

The Spanish carrier relied on the A340-300 as the backbone of its long-haul fleet, with 21 aircraft in service. Some of these still in service with Philippine Airlines, Aerolineas Argentinas and South African Airways.

Today, Iberia’s long-haul fleet has been renewed with the Airbus A330 family aircraft, with eight of each variant in service and two additional A330-200s on order. The arrival of the Airbus A350-900 from 2018 onwards, will replace the current fleet of 17 A340-600s.

The carrier’s A340-300s were not updated with the new cabin products, nor were painted with the new livery. The last two jetliners in service had a particular passenger cabin configuration, intended to serve destinations in the Caribbean, with 24 Business Class seats and 265 in Economy Class.

The retirement of the A340-300 sets a milestone for Iberia. From now and on, the Spanish carrier will have its long-haul products harmonized, with personal IFE offered in every seat and the new business class seats.