Air Canada confirmed it had placed an order for 61 Boeing 737 passenger planes, with options on 18 more aircraft and purchase rights for 30 others.

It said the large-scale order was part of the carrier's plan to renew its Airbus A320 and A321 fleet within a couple of years and added Boeing's narrow-body aircraft would come in handy to do just that.

Air Canada commented the move would create "one of the world's youngest, most fuel-efficient and simplified airline fleets."

Vying for new markets

"Our narrow-body fleet renewal program is expected to yield significant cost savings, CEO Calin Rovinescu said in a statement as Air Canada planned to grow its fleet from 192 planes to about 214 by the end of 2019.

With the order of 61 aircraft, US plane maker Boeing won an important customer in North America and dealt a blow to its European archrival Airbus.

In the first 11 months of the current year, the US aviation giant remained in the lead with 580 planes delivered to clients all over the world, while Airbus sold 562 units in the same period.

hg/kms (Reuters, AFP)