US asks judge to dismiss criminal charge over Boeing 737 Max crashes

THE US Justice Department asked a federal judge in Texas to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing over two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jets more than six years ago, despite objections of family members of some crash victims.

The move disclosed on Thursday in a court filing is part of a proposed settlement prosecutors reached with the planemaker last week. The case had been set to go to trial on June 23.

The government’s agreement calls for the company to pay more than US$1.1 billion in fees and fines, while taking steps to strengthen internal quality and safety measures. In return, the company will avoid criminal prosecution.

It is a notable reversal in the long-running criminal case against Boeing over two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jet in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

Just last year, Boeing had agreed to plead guilty to the pending criminal conspiracy charge under a deal that was ultimately rejected by US District Judge Reed O’Connor, who has been overseeing the case since it was filed in 2021. BLOOMBERG