Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, is in final criminal settlement talks with the Justice Department over the series of crashes involving its 737 Max planes, Bloomberg reported on the 29th, citing sources.
The settlement, which is currently being negotiated, is expected to include provisions to increase oversight of Boeing, and a final agreement could be announced as early as next week, the sources said. Prosecutors have indicated that they believe Boeing needs to be prosecuted for the 737 Max crashes, but it is unclear whether Boeing will admit to any wrongdoing, the sources said.
The Justice Department previously reached an agreement with Boeing to pay $2.5 billion (about 3.5 trillion won) in a criminal settlement in exchange for deferred prosecution of two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The agreement, reached in 2021, also included provisions to review compliance practices and submit regular reports. Then, on January 5 of this year, two days before the three-year deferred prosecution period under the 2021 agreement was to expire, another 737 Max accident occurred.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane taking off from Portland International Airport in Oregon made an emergency landing after its windows and part of the wall were torn off while flying about 5,000 meters above the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined in its preliminary investigation that four bolts that secure the door were missing during the assembly of the plane. Reuters previously reported that the Justice Department could extend the 2021 settlement or impose stricter monitoring conditions instead of prosecuting Boeing. However, if it does not prosecute Boeing, it could face strong opposition from the families of the crash victims.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg assessed that even if Boeing reaches an agreement with the Justice Department, the legal risks it faces will not be resolved.
U.S. authorities are continuing to investigate the Alaska Airlines crash, and a grand jury in Seattle could decide to bring additional charges against Boeing in connection with the crash, Bloomberg reported.