British Airways takes Britain's first Airbus superjumbo

A British Airways Airbus A380 lands after a display at Le Bourget airpor, near Paris. (AFP/File)

LONDON (AFP) – British Airways (BA) on Thursday became the first British airline to take delivery of an Airbus A380 superjumbo plane, and became the first airline in Europe to operate both the A380 and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

"We are delighted to welcome the first of our A380s to the fleet, joining our new 787s," British Airways chief executive Keith Williams said in a statement.

"These aircraft are the start of a new era for British Airways. Over the next 15 months, we will take delivery of new aircraft at the rate of one a fortnight as we put ourselves at the forefront of modern aviation."

BA's first double-decker A380 made by European planemaker Airbus was delivered to London's Heathrow airport.