TOKYO (AFP) - Japan Airlines said Monday it is ordering 31 Airbus A350 planes in a deal valued at US$9.5 billion (S$11.8 billion) and which challenges Boeing's dominance in the Japanese market as it struggles with its troubled Dreamliner.

The carrier said it had signed a purchase agreement for 18 long-haul A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s, with an option to buy another 25 aircraft.