Boeing agreed this Friday to pay 200 million dollars (203.4 million euros) for publicly issuing several messages in which it assured that the 737 MAX aircraft model did not present risks after two fatal accidents with these aircraft.
A problem with the flight software, MCAS, caused a Lion Air 737 MAX plane in October 2018 and a similar Ethiopian Airlines plane in March 2019 to go into a nose dive without the pilots being able to avoid it.
The two accidents killed 346 people and paralyzed the entire world fleet of 737 MAXs for 20 months.
The former CEO of the US aircraft company, Dennis Muilenburg, also agreed to pay $1 million in fines.
“After the first accident, Boeing and Muilenburg knew that MCAS was a safety issue, but publicly claimed that the 737 MAX was ‘as safe as any aircraft that has ever flown in the sky,'” US police said. UU. on the financial markets (SEC), the accusing entity in the case.
“Later,” the SEC added in a statement, “Boeing and Muilenburg assured the public that there were no issues or loopholes in the MCAS certification process, despite being aware of reports to the contrary.”
Boeing had already admitted, in January 2021, that two employees deceived a team from the US aviation authority in charge of preparing MCAS training for pilots.
The airline giant then agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion to settle some lawsuits, including a $243.6 million criminal fine, $1.77 billion in damages to the airlines that ordered the 737 MAX, and $500 million in damages. to a fund intended to compensate the victims in the coming days. of kinship
Source: TSF
