Boeing's European rival Airbus had planned a freighter version of the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet. However, that program was put on hold in 2005 after FedEx Corp. and UPS Inc. canceled their orders, leaving Airbus with an empty order book for the cargo plane.

The freighter version is to enter service late this year. The first delivery was to have been in late 2009 and the first passenger version in late 2010, but Boeing pushed back the dates due to design changes, limited engineering resources and an eight-week strike that shut down factories.

The 747-8 freighter and passenger jets are much smaller than their A380 counterparts, which Boeing has touted as an advantage. It says the planes will cost less to operate than A380s and will be able to serve more markets.

The 747-8 passenger version will carry up to 467 people in three classes, with a range of just under 7,000 miles. Boeing says assembly of that plane is to begin around mid-2010, with the first delivery in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Boeing said in October that it was recording a $1 billion charge because of delays in producing the new freighter.

Boeing also is in the midst of a flight test program for its new 787 passenger jet, which made its first flight in December, more than two years behind schedule.