AN Airbus A340-220 was scheduled to touch down at Kai Tak Airport this morning on a non-stop test flight from Airbus Industrie's Toulouse headquarters in France. The aircraft can fly further non-stop than any other passenger aircraft in aviation history, carrying 263 passengers up to 14,300 kilometres, making non-stop flights possible between Hongkong and destinations as far afield as New York. The A340 received European Joint Airworthiness Approval in December after a 14-month, 2,400-hour certification programme. Its slightly larger sibling aircraft, the A340-300, will be able to fly up to 13,400 kilometres with 295 passengers. The A340 is undergoing a certification programme due to be completed in October. Cathay Pacific selected the A330 in 1989 to replace its Lockheed TriStar on Asian trunk routes, with the first of 10 to be delivered in 1995. The smaller A320 was selected by Dragonair in 1991 to replace its Boeing 737-200s on services into China and across the region. The first of its six aircraft has been scheduled for delivery this month. A total of 72 firm orders for the A330/A340 family has been received from Asian airlines. Future operators include Air Lanka (five A340s); ANA (five A340s); China Eastern (five A340s); Garuda Indonesia (nine A330s); Korean Air (seven A330s); Malaysian Airline System (10 A330s);, Philippine Airlines (six A340s); Singapore Airlines (seven A340s); and Thai International (eight A330s).