Accordingly, in January 1980, it was announced that Saab had entered into a partnership arrangement with US manufacturer Fairchild Aircraft to develop and produce the upcoming regional airliner. Towards the end of the 1970s, the regional airliner venture had become the largest industrial venture in Sweden and was recognised as being too large for Saab to conduct alone. As conceived, the airliner was to match the performance of jets within its short-haul role.
According to author Gunnar Eliasson, the selection of a turboprop engine made the type less attractive to airlines than jet-powered competitors, however recognised that the General Electric CT7-5A2 engine picked was quite competitive with the jet engines of that era. Likewise, it was decided to make use of turboprop propulsion, which was slower but more economical than turbofan engines, and to optimise the airliner to take advantage of this type of powerplant this decision may have been influenced by high oil prices during that decade, such as the 1973 oil crisis. During the late 1970s, internal studies had determined that a short-haul airliner should be optimised to seat around 30 passengers. In 1974, the company decided to proceed with developing its first major civilian aircraft, having previously focused almost entirely upon military aircraft. Ģ+1 passenger cross-section Origins ĭuring the 1970s, Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab AB became increasingly interested in the civil aircraft market. In 1998, Saab decided to terminate production of the Saab 340. However, sales of the type declined due to intense competition within the regional aircraft market. During the early 1990s, an enlarged derivative of the airliner, designated as the Saab 2000, was introduced. On 25 January 1983, the Saab 340 conducted its maiden flight. After Fairchild ceased this work in 1985, production of these components was transferred to Sweden. Under the production arrangement in which production was split 65:35 between Saab and Fairchild, Saab constructed the all-aluminium 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. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different operators. The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. Saab 340 operated by Loganair for Flybe, gear up