Japan Airlines is buying its first-ever jets from Airbus in a deal with a list value of 950 billion yen ($9.5 billion) with a purchase of 31 A350 planes.
JAL's fleet has been dominated by Boeing Co. offerings, partly because of the ties between Japan and the U.S. that span decades and include security arrangements.
Airbus Japan Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier and Japan Airlines President Yoshiharu Ueki signed the deal Monday in Tokyo, which includes an option for JAL to buy 25 more Airbus planes.
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, officials said.
