Relatives of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, which killed 157 people in March 2019, have expressed outrage at Boeing’s recent plea deal with the US Department of Justice. Boeing pleaded guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge related to its 737 Max aircraft, agreeing to pay a $243.6 million fine, a figure far below the $24.8 billion sought by the victims’ families. Many hoped the prosecution would reveal more details about the cause of the crash, especially since there was an earlier crash involving the same aircraft model with Indonesia’s Lion Air. Families and their representatives argue that Boeing’s senior executives should be held accountable for concealing critical information about the aircraft’s flight control software, accusing the company of prioritizing profit over safety. The plea deal has intensified their sense of injustice and lack of accountability.
SOURCE: SEMAFOR
