For weeks before the crash, Airbus officials were optimistic that they would soon break out of their slump.

Airbus officials say they have no hope of overtaking Boeing and just want a respectable 30 percent of the market.

Airbus officials estimated the development project, expected to begin in 1995, would cost roughly $4 billion.

Airbus officials were more cautious about the general prospects for 2006.

An Airbus official in Paris said that the airlines had made their decisions on commercial and not political grounds.

Since the announcement of the investigation, Airbus officials have stepped up their efforts.

Airbus officials said the planes would cost $44 million to $45 million each.

Airbus officials asserted that the A321-100 would be a tough competitor for the medium-range 757-200.

"That might have been acceptable 30 years ago but not nowadays," one Airbus official said.

Airbus officials would not discuss the plans.