A US federal judge has formally dismissed criminal charges against Boeing related to the fatal crashes of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft, clearing the aerospace giant of prosecution under the terms of a deal reached with the Department of Justice (DoJ).
The decision, issued in Texas, follows a May 23 agreement in which Boeing committed to pay $1.1 billion in exchange for the dismissal of a fraud-related charge tied to the aircraft’s certification.
The arrangement halts a criminal trial that had been set for June in Fort Worth and resolves the matter without requiring Boeing to plead guilty over the deadly incidents.
Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 was involved in two catastrophic crashes — Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 — that killed a combined 346 people and triggered a global grounding of the aircraft. The company has repeatedly expressed remorse, stating it is “deeply sorry” for the tragedies.
Investigations blamed the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), an automated flight control feature that malfunctioned in both crashes.
The company said Thursday it remains committed to fulfilling the terms of the agreement and strengthening its “safety, quality, and compliance programs.”
Families Outraged: “A Message That Safety Doesn’t Matter”
The DoJ’s proposed settlement sparked fierce backlash from several families of crash victims. Critics condemned the agreement as overly lenient.
“The message sent by this action… is: don’t worry about making your products safe,” said Javier de Luis, whose sister died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Others, however, expressed a desire for closure, noting that each renewed court discussion reopens fresh wounds.
Thursday’s ruling marks the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that has dogged Boeing for years, severely damaging its reputation and contributing to a series of leadership shakeups.
The case dates back to a January 2021 agreement in which Boeing avoided prosecution by accepting a three-year probation period after admitting it misled the Federal Aviation Administration during the MAX certification process.
However, in May 2024, the DoJ concluded that Boeing had violated the terms of that deal following new safety lapses.
The company subsequently agreed in July 2024 to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. But in December, Judge Reed O’Connor rejected the settlement, setting the stage for a trial that has now been averted by the latest agreement.
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