LONDON: British Airways owner IAG said on Friday it would order 53 new Airbus and Boeing long-haul aircraft, in addition to an order for 18 planes it placed in March.

The new order consists of 32 Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, which may be assigned to other IAG airlines including Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Level, the company said, after it reported better than expected first-quarter profit.

The new orders follow those already placed in March, and first disclosed on Friday, for six Airbus A350-900s for Iberia, as well as six Airbus A350-1000s and six Boeing 777-9s for British Airways, IAG said.

List prices for the A330-900neo and 787-10 are about US$374 million and US$397 million, respectively, based on Jan 2025 US dollar terms, but airlines typically negotiate big discounts to official prices. IAG did not give the details of its discount.

IAG also said that British Airways had secured options to buy up to 10 additional Boeing 787s, and that the group had purchase rights for up to 13 more A330-900neos under its agreement with Airbus.

The US said on Thursday that Britain would buy US$10 billion of Boeing jets, and industry sources said IAG would also buy about 30 jets from Airbus as part of a wide-body order split between the European planemaker and its US rival.

The order adds to an already large backlog of Boeing planes slated for UK purchasers – 149 in total, according to Boeing’s published backlog.

Planemakers have been wrestling with supply chain snags and other challenges that have delayed deliveries.

Boeing is trying to ramp up production of its strongest selling 737 MAX jet to a rate of 38 per month this year, after a difficult 2024 when output slumped due to a broad quality crisis that led to the replacement of its CEO.

IAG, one of the industry’s most influential aircraft buyers, is closely watched by rivals, especially as global trade tensions spotlight major aircraft deals.

Bloomberg News on Thursday reported that IAG was poised to order 30 Boeing 787s and could secure options for further purchases.