Doha: Air New Zealand said on Sunday that it has ordered 14 medium-range Airbus planes, valued at $1.5 billion (Dh5.50 billion) according to list price.

The order by New Zealand’s flag carrier includes three A321neo, 10 A320neo and one A320, said the airline’s chief Christopher Luxon at a conference in the Qatari capital.

The neo units will be delivered between 2017 and 2019, while the classic A320 will be supplied early next year, he said on the sidelines of the general assembly of the International Air Transport Association.

The single-aisle aircraft are more fuel efficient than earlier models.

Luxon said that the carrier plans to have a fleet of medium-range airliners consisting exclusively of Airbus planes. Airbus’s A320 family competes with Boeing’s 737.

In November 2009, Air New Zealand placed an order for 14 A320 jets to replace its Boeing 737-300 planes.