BBC News Online: Business

The super jumbo fact file

The A3XX

• Size: Wingspan 80m, Length 67.4-78.9m

• Passengers: 480-656

• Minimum range (A3XX-100): 7,650 nautical miles (14,150 km)

• Top range (A3XX-100R) 8,750 nautical miles (16,200 km)

• Engines: four Rolls-Royce or Pratt-Whitney-General Electric jet engines

• On-board services: shops, sleeping areas, creche and exercise room over two decks

• Development costs: $10bn-$12bn (£6bn-£8bn)

• Date in service: 2005 to 2007

• Estimated cost of each plane: $220m-250m

• Estimated market: 1,300 planes over 20 years

• Assembly sites: Broughton in north Wales; Hamburg: Toulouse

• Launch customers (confirmed): Air France, Emirates, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, leasing firm ILFC

• Potential customers: British Airways, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific,

• Jobs: 60,000 (22,000 at BAE Systems)

Airbus Industrie

• Owners: European Aerospace, Defence and Space Company (Aerospatiale Matra - France, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace-Dasa - Germany, Casa - Spain) and BAE Systems - UK

• Aircraft sold/ordered: 556 (1999)

• Sales: $29.4bn (1999)

• Main models: A300 (wide body, short range); A320 (narrow body, short range); A330 (twin engine, long range); A340 (four engine, long range).

• Headquarters: Toulouse, France

• Structure: currently a 'consortium' of independent companies, but due to become a listed company this year. BAE Systems has an option to sell its 20% stake to EADS within three years.