Boeing Co is assessing new issues related to manufacturing the long-delayed 787 Dreamliner, but the company still aims to make first delivery of the plane by the end of this year, the chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said on Tuesday.

Speaking on a webcast of an analyst conference in New York, Jim Albaugh said the issues relate to manufacturing the airplane and not to its operations. The world's second-largest plane maker believes the issues will be readily addressed.

We're working very hard to get to entry into service, Albaugh said.

Boeing has said it aims to deliver the first lightweight carbon-composite Dreamliner -- more than two years behind schedule -- to All Nippon Airways <9202.T> by the end of the year. But the company has cautioned that the delivery could slip to early 2011.

Boeing has 847 orders for the Dreamliner on its books but saw 15 cancellations last week.

Shares of Boeing were down 1.6 percent at $67.89 on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

Manufacturing