The EC-GUP (hi)story!

The A340-300 is the basic version of the family and can transport 295 passengers over a distance of some 12,500 km. Iberia opted for a configuration of 24 business class seats and 265 economy class seats. An A340-300 was the first A340 to make its maiden flight on 25 October 1991, entering service for Lufthansa and Air France in March 1993. The idea was actually to use IAE engines specifically developed for the 300 version. But this company stopped developing the engine and Airbus ended up using four CFMI CFM56-5C turbofans instead. This led to higher consumption compared to the original design and also reduced the aircraft’s range and cruising speed.

In 2016, Iberia parted ways with its long-time "workhorses" and decommissioned the Airbus A340-300 fleet. The last commercial passenger flight with an aircraft of this type was by the EC-GUP on 14 November 2016 as IB 6166 from Boston to Madrid, writing Spanish aviation history in the process.

Currently, Iberia still operates 17 aircraft of the larger Airbus A340-600 model, which comes in at about 12 metres longer than the A340-300. The A340-600 initially failed to meet the manufacturer's weight commitments and in turn some of the guaranteed performance metrics, which meant that Iberia got the overly heavy specimens at a cut price. On 10 November 2011, Airbus announced it would be ceasing production of the four-engine A340, marking the end of what was once the "4 Engines 4 Long-Haul" principle.

The year after, the "Agustina de Aragon" was transferred to Castellon for further recycling. We have managed to salvage parts of the EC-GUP and upcycle them into a limited-edition Aviationtag.