Justice Department reaches tentative non-prosecution deal with Boeing over 737 Max crashes

By Euronews with AP

Published connected 24/05/2025 - 0:51 GMT+2•Updated 9:01

The US Justice Department (DOJ) struck a woody pinch Boeing that would let nan planemaker to debar criminal prosecution successful a fraud lawsuit related to 2 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346 group complete 5 years ago.

Under nan tentative deal, nan aerospace elephantine would salary much than $1.1 cardinal (€967.5 million), and an further $445 cardinal (€391 million) to nan clang victims' families.

In return, nan DOJ agreed to disregard a fraud lawsuit against Boeing, allowing nan planemaker to debar a criminal condemnation that could jeopardise its position arsenic a national contractor.

“We are assured that this solution is nan astir conscionable result pinch applicable benefits,” a Justice Department spokesperson said successful a statement.

“Nothing will diminish nan victims’ losses, but this solution holds Boeing financially accountable, provides finality and compensation for nan families and makes an effect for nan information of early aerial travelers,” they added.

However, nan verdict comes arsenic a rustle to immoderate of nan victims' families, who judge nan monetary good could nonstop a incorrect awesome to companies connected accountability regarding nan information of their products.

Some relatives of passengers successful nan crashes person been pushing for a nationalist trial, nan prosecution of erstwhile institution officials, and a much terrible financial reward for Boeing.

“This benignant of non-prosecution woody is unprecedented and evidently incorrect for nan deadliest firm crime successful US history," said Paul Cassell, an lawyer connected nan case, adding that nan families he repesents will entity and effort to person nan tribunal to cull nan deal.

Two caller 737 Max jets collapsed successful 2018 successful Indonesia and 2019 successful Ethiopia, sidesplitting 346 group aft a faulty sensor reference forced nan level into an uncontrollable nosedive.

Boeing was accused of misleading nan Federal Aviation Administration astir aspects of nan Max earlier nan agency certified nan level for flight.

The planemaker did not show airlines and pilots astir nan caller package system, called MCAS, that could move nan plane’s chemoreceptor down without input from pilots if a sensor detected that nan level mightiness spell into an aerodynamic stall.

The DOJ had already charged Boeing successful 2021 pinch deceiving FAA regulators astir nan software, and astir really overmuch training pilots needed to alert nan level safely. At nan time, nan aerospace elephantine was fto disconnected nan hook aft they agreed to salary a $2.5 cardinal (€2.2 billion) colony and took steps to comply pinch anti-fraud laws for 3 years.

After national prosecutors recovered Boeing did not comply pinch nan statement and grounded to make nan promised changes, nan level shaper agreed to plead blameworthy to nan criminal fraud complaint to debar a perchance lengthy nationalist trial.

But successful December, a national judge rejected nan plea woody citing concerns pinch diversity, inclusion and equity requirements erstwhile picking a show to oversee Boeing's compliance.