British Airways has ordered 12 Airbus A380 and 24 Boeing 787 aircraft.

It has also placed options for a further seven A380s and 18 B787s.

The aircraft will replace 34 of the airline's long-haul fleet and will be delivered between 2010 and 2014.

"The order, including options, will give the airline the ability to grow its capacity by up to four per cent per year and the flexibility to tailor its future capacity growth in line with market conditions," BA said.

"The aircraft will be greener, quieter and more fuel efficient with significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduced impact on local air quality. This was a key consideration in the order."

Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive officer, said: "This is an exciting day for British Airways with our largest fleet order since 1998. It's great news for our business, our customers and the environment".

The airline has arranged for a group of banks to provide $1.5 billion of debt financing to cover all of the airline's firm orders to the end of 2011.

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