Airbus SAS has ended production of its four-engine A340 aircraft after the jet with the company’s longest fuselage lost out to Boeing twin-engine 777 model.

"We have accepted reality. We have not sold any A340s for nearly two years," Airbus finance director Hans Peter Ring said during a presentation on the third-quarter results of Airbus parent company EADS.

Terminating the program will lead to an operating gain of 192 million euros ($261 million), EADS said, without explaining why it’s concluding production of the jet that started service in 1993.

The program is the shortest-lived so far for Airbus, which saw orders for the jet dry up after safety regulators began allowing twin-engine models such as the Boeing 777 to fly long routes without having to stay close to emergency stopping areas.