British Airways has placed an $8.2 billion order for 61 new aircraft, including its first order for Airbus's A380 superjumbo.

The order marks the start of its most ambitious fleet replacement programme in nearly a decade and ends its loyalty to Boeing on long-haul routes.

The carrier today said it would order 12 Airbus A380 planes and 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliner craft.

BA has also taken options to buy a further seven Airbus superjumbos and 18 Dreamliners.

The airline said the planes were worth $8.2 billion (£4.1 billion) at list price, although City analysts believe the price agreed will probably be about £3 billion because of the size of the order.

The new planes, which will be delivered between 2010 and 2014, will be used to replace 34 existing longhaul planes, mostly Boeing 747s.

Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, said the airline would use the A380 to make the best use of limited take-off slots at London's Heathrow airport.

He said the new order would deliver an extra 4 per cent capacity every year over the medium term.

The planes will be powered with Rolls-Royce engines.

British Airways' decision to buy Airbus's delayed A380 plane is a valuable win for the European plane maker, which is due to deliver the first A380 for commercial use to Singapore Airlines next month.

The doubledecker A380 can carry up to 853 passengers and will probably carry about 650 people where airlines choose to install premium seating, which takes up more space. The Boeing 747-400, by comparison, popular on longhaul routes and currently used by BA, can hold up to 351 passengers.

Funding for firm orders to the end of 2011 will be bolstered by $1.5 billion of debt financing, arranged through a group of banks.

BA said it is considering buying the Airbus A350XWB, the Boeing 777-300 ER and a stretched version of Boeing's Dreamliner to replace its remaining Boeing 747 planes.

Collins Stewart, the City broker, said the A380 was "likely to have been heavily discounted" and the carrier is likely to achieved a reasonable discount with Boeing. The order fits with the airline's anticipated capital expenditure plans of £900 million per year.

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