Virgin Atlantic announced Monday that it has ordered twelve Airbus A350-1000 jets, worth $4.4 billion (3.9 billion euros) at list prices, in the first major announcement at the Farnborough air show.

"Virgin Atlantic has selected the A350-1000, the largest member of the A350 family, to become the latest aircraft in its fleet," the airline added in a statement on the first day of the show held near London.