British Airways and Boeing have finalised an order for eight B787-8s and 16 B787-9s, including the 787th Dreamliner order placed worldwide.

BA announced the order in September and the contract has now been signed. The airline has also placed options for 18 B787s and purchase rights for an additional 10.

Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "The 787 is a fantastic aircraft and will be a welcome addition to our fleet. It will provide major environmental improvements in terms of global emissions, local air quality and noise.

"With lower operating costs and the range to fly to all our destinations, it will give us more flexibility when planning our route network and we are confident that our customers will enjoy flying on the aircraft."

BA said the B787 will help it meet environmental performance targets and will reduce CO2 emissions. The airliner has a noise footprint that is more than 60 per cent smaller than those of similarly-sized aircraft.

In September, BA had also announced orders for 12 Airbus A380 aircraft with options for a further seven. Like the B787, the A380 sets the gold standard when it comes to environmental performance, BA said.

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