WASHINGTON - Boeing said Friday its new 787 Dreamliner aircraft remains on track for its first test flight by the end of the year and that a problem noted in a news report had been "resolved."

The aerospace giant commented after the Wall Street Journal reported it discovered a new issue with the composite material in the plane's wings as it reinforced an area of the fuselage of the aircraft.

The Journal said metal bolts inside the wings of one of the six test airplanes were found to have slightly damaged the surrounding material.

"The issue raised in the article has been resolved," a Boeing spokesman told AFP. "We are progressing well toward first flight and are on track to fly by the end of the year."

Boeing had announced on June 23 a fifth delay in the 787 Dreamliner program to fix a structural problem.

Boeing launched the Dreamliner program in April 2004 and initially had planned to deliver the first airplane to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways in the first half of 2008.