Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and a congressional delegation are going to France later this week to pursue an airplane plant for Mobile.

Neal Wade, the director of the Alabama Development Office, says the delegation will visit the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse on Friday.

Airbus's parent company, EADS, is working with Northrop Grumman to try to get a major Air Force contract. They are planning to base the airplane work in Mobile.

Boeing is the competition. If it wins the contract, it plans to build the planes in Washington state.

Nine members of Congress are planning to make the trip, including Rep. Jo Bonner of Mobile and Bud Cramer of Huntsville, plus Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.

After Toulouse, the congressional delegation will visit the Paris Air Show on Monday.