Boeing sees significant improvement in 737 MAX factory after safety crisis

Boeing 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 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 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 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 has disappointed airline customers. She said Boeing would need to be more predictable on deliveries after production slumped. The FAA in January took the unprecedented step of barring Boeing from increasing production beyond 38 MAX planes per month until it is satisfied with the planemaker's quality and manufacturing improvements.<br/>