According to a court document submitted on July 24th local time, as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice regarding two 737 MAX plane crashes, Boeing will plead guilty to criminal fraud charges.
According to reports, the plea agreement must be approved by a federal court judge. According to the plea agreement, Boeing is required to pay an additional fine of $243.6 million and spend $455 million over the next three years to enhance Boeing's compliance and safety programs.
A Boeing spokesperson confirmed the court documents, stating, "Boeing will take significant action to further strengthen its safety, quality, and compliance programs, and will continue to maintain transparent cooperation with regulatory agencies
According to previous reports, in October 2018 and March 2019, Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines flights crashed, resulting in a total of 346 deaths. The crashed planes were all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. On July 7, 2024, the US Department of Justice announced that Boeing would plead guilty to criminal fraud charges. Boeing also confirmed in a statement that it has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice.