LONDON (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) has seen a significant improvement in production at its 737 MAX factory, its new commercial planes chief said on Sunday, as the U.S. planemaker battles to overcome a safety crisis.

The remarks in London, ahead of this week's Farnborough Airshow, are the first time Stephanie Pope has addressed reporters since she was appointed earlier this year.

Boeing ( BA ) is mired in crisis after a door 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 company is seeing a "significant improvement in the flow of our 737 factory," Pope told reporters, speaking on a panel with two other Boeing ( BA ) executives.

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 reiterated remarks by the company that the planemaker expects to bring MAX production back to a rate of around 38 a month by the end of 2024.