Boeing agreed to plead guilty and pay a fine of 243.6 million dollars to resolve the investigation of the US Department of Justice in connection with the collapse of two 737 Max aircraft that claimed 346 people.
In accordance with the agreement, the company undertakes to spend $ 455 million over the next three years on strengthening its security programs and compliance with norms, the statement said.
The Ministry of Justice will also appoint auditors who will monitor the compliance with regulatory requirements regarding security for three years.
The ministe official, who wished to remain unnamed, noted that the charge is associated with two accidents of 737 Max in Indonesia and Ethiopia that occurred during the five -month period in 2018 and 2019, and the 737 Max emergency landing is not included in the agreement on January 5, 2024 .
The US Ministry of Justice reported that guilt will require the approval of the federal judge, the text of the agreement will be submitted to the Texas court until July 19.
In the meantime, the families of those who died in two airlines intend to achieve a refusal to implement the agreement. Ike Riffel, who lost two sons as a result of a crash in Ethiopia, believes that Boeing representatives should also bear the punishment. “Boeing paid fines several times, but this did not lead to any changes,” the man said.
– a mistake in the flight management system has taken the lives of 346 people
Boeing 737 Max 8 Lion Air on October 29, 2018 performed a planned JT-610 internal flight along the Jakarta-Pankalpinang route, but 11 minutes after takeoff collapsed into the Java Sea. All 189 people were killed on board – 181 passengers and 8 crew members. The flight of flight 610 was the first Boeing 737 aircraft of the Max 8 series.
March 10, 2019, a large aviation disaster in Ethiopia took place. The Boeing 737 Max 8 Airlines Ethiopian Airlines made a planned flight ET302 along the Addis Abab-Nairobi route, but 7 minutes after take-off, it collapsed near Debre-Zait (OroMia). All 157 people who were on board were killed – 149 passengers and 8 crew members.
After the catastrophe in Ethiopia, many countries, including Turkey, China, Ethiopia, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Austria, temporarily stopped operating aircraft type “Boeing 737 Max” and closed their aircraft for the flights of such aircraft. Later it was found that in both cases the cause of the crash was incorrect work of the on -board software.
A similar agreement between the Ministry of Justice of the United States and the airline was reached in 2021. Then the company agreed to check by representatives of the Federal Civil Aviation Department (FAA) and the payment of $ 2.5 billion as compensation for damage and fines.