Boeing CEO: Dreamliner will fly this quarter

Boeing Co.'s new 787 Dreamliner, running about two years behind schedule after four delays, will have its first test flight this quarter as planned, Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney said.

"We will deliver on the promise of the 787," McNerney, 59, told investors today in remarks broadcast over the Internet from Washington. The Chicago-based company is the world's second-largest commercial-plane maker, trailing Airbus SAS.

Boeing has targeted a maiden flight by the end of June to complete certifications so the plane can enter service with Japan's All Nippon Airways in next year's first quarter. Engineers are testing the first 787's engines after moving the plane to the flight line last weekend and then will simulate flight conditions while the jet is grounded outside Chicago- based Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington.

The 787 is the first commercial plane to be made mostly of lightweight composites and to use a more extensive electrical system to reduce fuel consumption. The original May 2008 delivery target was pushed back four times because of parts shortages and defects, redesigns and problems with suppliers who shipped incomplete sections. It's still a best-seller for Boeing, with 861 on order.