Boeing came to a settlement with the relatives of almost the 157 people who died in the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash in March 2019. In the settlement Boeing accepts full responsibility for the accident and the families agree not to seek punitive damages against the aircraft manufacturer.
“Boeing is committed to ensuring that all families who lost loved ones in the accidents are fully and fairly compensated for their loss,” said a Boeing spokesperson. “The agreement filed with the court today is an important step forward in that process. By accepting responsibility, Boeing’s agreement with the families allows the parties to focus their efforts on determining the appropriate compensation for each family.”
The Ethiopia Airlines crash and a second crash six months later of the same 737 Max model owned by Lion Air in Indonesia wreaked havoc on the company’s finances. In 2021 the company recorded a $11.9 billion loss due to the grounding of the 737 Max fleet and paralyzation of the airline industry due to the pandemic, as well as the delay of its newest airplane the 777X.
Since then a $500 million fund to compensate families has already been set up as part of a $2.5 billion settlement with the US Department of Justice in January.
In October a former Boeing employee, 737 Max Chief Technical Pilot Mark Forkner was charged of scheming to defraud Being customers and deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration during the evaluation and certification of the 737 Max in 2017.
