Japan Airlines buys 31 Airbus jets

Japan Airlines (JAL) is buying its first jets from Airbus – 31 A350 planes – in a deal with a list value of €7bn.

JAL’s fleet has been dominated by Boeing, partly because of the ties between Japan and the US.

Airbus Japan chief executive Fabrice Bregier and Japan Airlines president Yoshiharu Ueki signed the deal in Tokyo. It includes an option for JAL to buy 25 more Airbus planes.

Mr Ueki said the decision to turn to the European manufacturer, based in Toulouse, France, for replacements for Boeing jets was unrelated to the problems that have plagued Boeing’s rival offering, the 787 Dreamliner planes.

The planes will go into service from 2019.