Béteille recalled: “As far as I was concerned there were two elements, one being the market needs, which was for an A320 earlier than a A340; and secondly for the technical reason that, having to make a significant step forward in technology, like fly-by-wire, it was considerably easier and less risky to enter the field with a smaller aircraft than with a big, long-range aircraft. Correcting a mistake is much cheaper, and the accumulation of experience is faster with a smaller, short-range aircraft which makes many more flights and is used in larger numbers than the long-range. There were some divergent ideas within Airbus, but the final decision to go for the A320 was a smooth one.”