Boeing agrees to plead guilty to misleading FAA in 737 MAX evaluation, faces maximum fine after two deadly crashes

Boeing has reached an agreement in principle with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by misleading the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the evaluation of the 737 MAX aircraft. This agreement includes Boeing paying the maximum statutory fine ($487.2 million) and investing $455 million over three years in compliance and safety programmes.

The deal, however, is not finalised, and families of the victims of the 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 are opposing the plea agreement. They argue it unfairly favours Boeing and fails to hold the company accountable for the deaths of 346 people. They have requested to file their opposition before the court formalises the plea agreement by July 19, 2024.

The tragic crashes involved a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunging into the Java Sea in October 2018, killing 189 people, and another Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crashing near Addis Ababa in March 2019, killing 157 people. The plea agreement has prompted strong reactions from victims’ families, who plan to ask the court to reject it.