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Transport Minister Tells Boeing to Pick Up Pace

Transportation Minister Igor Levitin urged Boeing to accelerate the delivery of 787 Dreamliners to Aeroflot so the state-run carrier can put them into service before the 2014 Winter Olympics, when traffic is expected to surge.

Levitin said he pressed Boeing executives during a recent trip to the United States to accelerate deliveries, which are now scheduled for 2016. ? 

“We asked them to move it to 2014,” Levitin said. “We would like the official carrier of the games to have these jets during the Olympics.” ? 

Boeing is more than two years behind schedule in deploying the Dreamliner, the first airplane to be built mostly from composite-plastic materials instead of aluminum. The twin-engine jet has been slowed by parts shortages, redesigns and a new manufacturing process that relies more on component suppliers.

Dmitry Krol, a spokesman for Boeing, declined to comment on Levitin’s remarks, saying only that Aeroflot’s contract was worth about $3.6 billion and calls for 22 Dreamliners to be delivered in 2016.

Aeroflot, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, is also due to start receiving 22 aircraft from Boeing rival Airbus in 2016.

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