=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2004/02/10/f= inancial1836EST0321.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, February 10, 2004 (AP) Boeing says it likely will have a 7E7 customer by May or June ELIZABETH SOUDER, Dow Jones Newswires (02-10) 15:36 PST (AP) -- WASHINGTON (Dow Jones/AP) -- Boeing Co. will likely have a launch custom= er for its new 7E7 Dreamliner airplane by May or June and the customer probably will be located outside the United States, the head of the company's international operations said Tuesday. Boeing will begin selling the new fuel-efficient airplane at a time when U.S. airlines are struggling and aren't ordering as many planes as foreign airlines are. Observers expect an airline from Asia or the Middle East will be the fir= st customer. Robert Bauerlein, vice president of international operations for Boeing, said the 7E7's sales will probably reflect the company's split in total commercial aerospace sales. About 70 percent of commercial aerospace sales go to companies based outside the United States. As for the defense side of Boeing's business, around 15 percent to 20 percent of sales are to international customers. Bauerlein said the company aimed to boost international sales by forming partnerships with companies based in other countries. But caution on the part of some U.S. officials hampers that process, he said. During a panel discussion at a conference held by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Bauerlein said the process of gaining government approval to transfer defense technology to international partners is slow. Some Department of Defense officials are cautious about that technology getting into the wrong hands, he said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 AP