LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) is seeing a

significant improvement in production flow at its 737 MAX

factory, its new commercial planes chief said on Sunday, as the

U.S. planemaker battles to overcome a safety crisis.

Speaking to reporters in London ahead of this week's

Farnborough Airshow, Stephanie Pope said the changes Boeing ( BA ) was

making to the Seattle-area factory were significant.

"This isn't minor change. This is transformational change,"

she said in her first remarks to media since being appointed

earlier this year.

"We are a stable company," she added

Boeing ( BA ) is mired in crisis after a cabin panel on a 737 MAX 9

jets blew off midair in January, prompting a slowdown in

production of its top-selling plane as well as heightened

regulatory and legal scrutiny.

Boeing ( BA ) has also agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud

conspiracy charge over a probe related to two earlier fatal 737

MAX crashes, the Justice Department has said in court filings.

Pope declined to comment on a plea deal.

The company is seeing a "significant improvement in the flow

of our 737 factory," Pope said, while acknowledging that Boeing ( BA )

has disappointed airline customers.

She said Boeing ( BA ) would need to be more predictable on

deliveries after production slumped.

The Federal Aviation Administration in January took the

unprecedented step of barring Boeing ( BA ) from increasing production

beyond 38 MAX planes per month until it is satisfied with the

planemaker's quality and manufacturing improvements.

"This isn't about safety and quality versus schedule," Pope

said. "These are not competing priorities."

Pope became CEO of Boeing's ( BA ) commercial division as part of a

broader management shakeup that will see CEO David Calhoun

stepping down by year's end.

Pope has been cited as a possible contender to take the

reins of Boeing ( BA ), although the company is facing calls from

airlines and some industry officials to choose a leader with an

engineering background which she lacks. Pope said she was

focused on her current role "24/7."

She reiterated that the company expects to bring MAX

production back to a rate of around 38 a month by the end of

2024.

Pope also said the planemaker had settled on a design to

address a engine anti-ice system that has significantly delayed

certification of the 737 MAX 7, and suggested a fix could be

completed by next year.