Libyan airline Afriqiyah Airways said on Wednesday it had signed a preliminary sales agreement to buy six long-haul A350 Airbus jets as part of its ambitious expansion plans.

The group also placed a firm order for five short-haul A320s, bringing the total value of the deal to 1.6 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) at catalogue prices.

"The new A350 XWBs will bring us the right aircraft at the right time for our fleet expansion," said Afriqiyah Airways chief executive, Captain Sabri.

Sabri said his airline was looking to capitalize on a recent decision by the Libyan authorities to build a new airport terminal with capacity of 20 million passengers per year.

The initiative aims to establish Tripoli as a major travel hub in Africa.

The deal for the A350s was in the form of a memorandum of understanding stating that Afriqiyah Airways intended to buy the planes.

"We greatly value this new order of Afriqiyah Airways, which is the first A350 XWB order from an African carrier," said Airbus sales director John Leahy.