British Airways’ parent IAG has placed a £2.6bn order with Boeing for 18 787 Dreamliners.
The move has been seen as a sign of reaffirmed faith in the troubled aircraft, which has been plagued by problems since its inception.
IAG said the 787s would replace some of BA’s existing Boeing 747s between 2017 and 2021.
It is also in discussions with Boeing over the commercial conditions for an order of 787s for Iberia, but said it first has to complete a major cost cutting programme at the Spanish airline.
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said: “British Airways has 24 Boeing 787s on order already and we plan to boost this by a further 18 aircraft by exercising our options.
“The creation of IAG has resulted in greater buying power for both airlines through joint procurement and we have been able to obtain delivery slots for Iberia as part of British Airways’ order.”
A safety scare over the use of lithium-ion batteries has seen all 787s in service grounded since January.
But Boeing is confident the aircraft will be flying again soon after a successful test flight last week.
