Boeing, US Justice Department reach $1.1B deal to avoid prosecution for deadly 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346

HOUSTON, United States

Boeing reached a deal Friday with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to pay a $1.1 billion settlement for two deadly 737 Max jetliner crashes that will allow the airline manufacturer to avoid criminal prosecution, according to media reports.

The agreement stems from the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 where a total of 346 people died.

A majority of the settlement will go toward improving Boeing's compliance, safety and quality program and $445 million will be set aside to provide compensation to the families of the victims, according to the Justice Department.

Court documents revealed that the deal will allow the company to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading US regulators about the safety of the 737 Max jetliners before the crashes.

Some of the victims' family members blasted the deal, saying they felt "tremendous grief and even anger" about the agreement.

"This kind of non-prosecution deal is unprecedented and obviously wrong for the deadliest corporate crime in US history," Paul Cassell, who represents some of the families, said in a statement.

"The families that I represent contend that it is more important for Boeing to be held accountable to the flying public," said Cassell. "My families will object and hope to convince the court to reject it."

Boeing declined to comment on the settlement, but the Justice Department defended the agreement.

"After careful consideration of the families' views, the facts and the law, the department's principles of federal prosecution and the professional and ethical obligations of prosecutors, it is the government's judgment that the agreement is a fair and just resolution that serves the public interest," officials said in court filings.

Despite the families spending years pushing for a public criminal trial, the prosecution of former Boeing officials and steeper financial consequences for the airline manufacturer, Justice Department officials insisted: "We are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits."

"Nothing will diminish the victims' losses, but this resolution holds Boeing financially accountable, provides finality and compensation for the families and makes an impact for the safety of future air travelers," said the officials.