Seattle  - No further delays are expected in the production of Boeing's hotly anticipated 787 Dreamliner jets and the first planes will be delivered by the third quarter of next year, the company said.

Also Monday Boeing announced a 2.2-billion-dollar deal to sell Iraq 30 Boeing 737-800s, and said it was in negotiations to sell the country 10 new 787s.

Boeing issued its comments on the 787 delays after the German newspaper Die Welt said that the first planes may be delayed as many as 27 months, citing a letter from the aircraft maker to an unidentified client.

"There is no change to our schedule for the 787 that we announced in April, which has first delivery in the third quarter of 2009," said Boeing in a statement.

The 787, Boeing's most popular new plane, has been postponed three times since October. The first test flights of the fuel-efficient plane are now scheduled for the fourth quarter this year, with customers getting their first planes at least 14 months later than planned, Boeing said last month. (dpa)