Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said he was confident the first 787 Dreamliner would be delivered by the end of this year, as planned, according to an interview in German daily Welt am Sonntag.

On Thursday, Boeing had said issues raised in its 787 Dreamliner flight tests could delay first delivery of the long-awaited carbon-composite aircraft into the first part of 2011.

From 2013, the U.S. planemaker will deliver 10 of the aircraft every month, Welt am Sonntag said.

McNerney also made upbeat comments about economic recovery and said he saw orders improving.

We have left a difficult economic phase behind us, are financially healthy with a large order book, he told the paper, according to an excerpt of the interview, which will be published on Sunday.

The bulk of orders will come from Asia and the Middle East this year. But U.S. airlines are also recovering and we are seeing more orders, he said.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Toby Chopra)