British Airways announced last Thursday that it would order 12 Airbus A380s and 24 Boeing 787s, with options for 7 more A380s and 18 more 787s. The planes will be delivered between 2010 and 2014. "This is an exciting day for British Airways with our largest fleet order since 1998," said Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive. "It's great news for our business, our customers and the environment." Walsh also pointed out that the two new types are environmentally friendly and also produce a quarter of the noise of a Boeing 747-400.
BA has said that they will use the A380 to "provide more capacity for the airline's key high-density markets and [to] maximise use of scarce Heathrow slots", while the 787 will "be used to start new routes and increase frequencies in existing markets". The airline also announced that it is looking to replace the 747-400 and is looking at the 787-10, 777-300ER and A350XWB models as potential replacements.
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