A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a criminal conspiracy charge against Boeing over two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, approving a settlement between the aircraft manufacturer and the US government.
In a written ruling issued on Thursday, US District Judge Reed O’Connor backed the US Justice Department’s request to end the case as part of an agreement that requires Boeing to pay or invest an additional $1.1 billion.
The money will go towards fines, compensation for victims’ families, and improvements to internal safety and quality controls.
The decision follows a highly emotional hearing in September, where relatives of some of the victims urged the judge to reject the proposed deal. Many family members had travelled from across
the world, including Europe and Africa, to demand a criminal trial instead of what they saw as a lenient settlement.
“Do not allow Boeing to buy its freedom,” said Catherine Berthet from France, whose daughter Camille Geoffroy was among those killed when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off in 2019.
The crashes occurred less than five months apart, first off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018 and then in Ethiopia in March 2019. Both aircraft, operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, were 737 MAX 8 models. Investigators later found that a faulty flight-control system repeatedly pushed the nose of the planes down, leaving pilots unable to regain control.
Prosecutors had accused Boeing of misleading federal regulators about the software responsible for the crashes. The company had been charged with defrauding the government in January 2021, and a previous plea deal collapsed after Judge O’Connor declined to approve it.
The US Justice Department said the new agreement serves the public interest more effectively than a trial that might risk an uncertain jury verdict. Officials also noted that more than 100 families either supported or did not object to the settlement.
Boeing’s 737 MAX fleet was grounded worldwide for 20 months following the disasters while engineers redesigned the software system. The company has since resumed deliveries of the aircraft, though the tragedy continues to cast a long shadow over its reputation and regulatory oversight in the aviation industry.
(With inputs from AP)
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