Aviation journalists attending this week's Airbus technical press briefing in Toulouse eager to hear the truth behind the rumours buzzing around the A350 twinjet programme from the horse's mouth - or rather that of chief operating officer John Leahy - were left disappointed.
Any expectations of receiving the manufacturer's decision on whether to proceed with the existing programme, adapt it or even scrap it in favour of a completely new design - the A370? - were dashed as Leahy insisted: "There will be clarity on the A350 programme by next month's Farnborough air show."
He added: "It is a very interesting aircraft either way. When there is clarity on the A350, I think that we will see a backlog of orders coming out."
The great Airbus salesman continued: "The industry does not tend to place a lot of orders during a time of indecision, so we will end it soon."
Blaming anyone other than Airbus itself for the uncertainty - with the media and certain ungrateful A350 customers coming in for particular criticism - he said that no decision had been made, and that a number of possible outcomes were being evaluated before being presented to the Airbus board.
Leahy adds that he is expecting a surge of A350 orders once uncertainty over the new twinjet's future design ends.
He had been due to host lunch for the assembled media, and ideally give out a few more titbits, but had to make his excuses, citing an emergency dental appointment, possibly caused by excessive teeth grinding over the revelation of yet another delay to the tardy A380 programme.
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