Aeroflot, Russia's national airline, has missed a deadline to buy Boeing's new 787 passenger plane. The deadline for placing an order for 787 jets for delivery by 2010 expired Nov. 1.

Valery Okulov, Aeroflot's chief executive officer, said a government-controlled board deliberated for too long between purchasing the Boeing planes and a competing model offered by Airbus.

"Now, everything at Boeing has been bought up until 2014 and we can't buy anything," Okulov was quoted as saying during a trip to China.

According to Interfax:

Okulov's comments marked a new twist in a long-running battle between Airbus and Boeing, a contest Airbus has been losing elsewhere because of delays for its A350 - but not in Russia. Russia is trying to join Airbus's parent company, European Aeronautic Defense & Space, as a partner, which is one reason cited by analysts for dragging out the decision on badly needed upgrades to the Aeroflot fleet.

Yet Airbus A350s, now being totally redesigned to better compete with the fast-selling 787, will not be ready in time to meet Aeroflot's ambitious expansion plans.

Tip of the hat to IHT.