The aircraft manufacturer has admitted responsibility for the accident that killed 157 people in Ethiopia in 2019.
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Boeing has reached an agreement with the families of the victims of the 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia in March 2019. The American manufacturer has admitted its responsibility in the accident which left 157 dead, according to legal documents filed Wednesday (November 10) with ‘a Chicago court.
“Boeing is committed to ensuring that all families who have lost loved ones in accidents are fully and fairly compensated.”
Flight 302 to Nairobi, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, crashed in a field southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, six minutes after takeoff, due to faulty software. The 157 people who died were of 35 different nationalities. The accident had resulted in the grounding of the 737 MAXs and the worst crisis in the history of the American aircraft manufacturer, as it followed the accident of a Lion Air aircraft in Indonesia in October 2018 that killed 189 people.
Senior lawyers for the families called the deal a“historical” and D’“important step for relatives in their quest for justice against Boeing”. “It will allow all of them to be treated fairly (…) by creating a path to reach final resolutions, through agreements or trials”Robert Clifford, Steven Marks and Justin Green added in a statement.
The documents filed on Wednesday do not mention any sums, but the families of the victims will be able to take steps to obtain compensation in American courts. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in Chicago to ratify this preliminary agreement. Then there will be mediations. But if they fail, each family will be able to present their case to a jury for damages.