Saab 340

Saab 340
Saab 340 operated by Loganair for Flybe
General information
Type	Turboprop regional airliner
National origin	Sweden and America
Manufacturer	Saab AB
Status	Out of production, In service
Primary user	Rex Airlines
Number built	459
History
Manufactured	1983–1999
Introduction date	1984
First flight	25 January 1983
Variants	Saab 340 AEW&C
Developed into	Saab 2000

The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different operators.

Under the production arrangement in which production was split 65:35 between Saab and Fairchild, Saab constructed the all-aluminum fuselage and vertical stabilizer along with final assembly of the aircraft in Linköping, Sweden, while Fairchild was responsible for the wings, empennage, and wing-mounted nacelles for the two turboprop engines. After Fairchild ceased this work in 1985, production of these components was transferred to Sweden.

On 25 January 1983, the Saab 340 conducted its maiden flight. During the early 1990s, an enlarged derivative of the airliner, designated as the Saab 2000, was introduced. However, sales of the type declined due to intense competition within the regional aircraft market. Saab decided to cease production of the aircraft.^[1]