Families of the victims of two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes are speaking out against the proposed plea deal between the plane maker and the US Department of Justice. They argue that the fine should be much higher than the proposed amount of $243.6m to $487m. The crashes, which occurred in 2018 and 2019, resulted in the deaths of 346 individuals.
Boeing recently agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after violating a deferred prosecution agreement from 2021. The company was accused of misleading regulators about a flight-control system involved in the crashes.
Despite efforts by Boeing to rectify the situation, a panel came loose on a Max jetliner during a flight in January, prompting further scrutiny of the company’s safety practices. In May, the Justice Department reopened the possibility of prosecution after finding that Boeing had violated the terms of the 2021 agreement.
Reuters contributed to this report