Buckle up, folks! ✈️ Boeing is hitting some serious turbulence.
The U.S. Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Boeing breached its obligations in a 2021 agreement that had shielded the airplane maker from criminal prosecution over the tragic 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which claimed 346 lives.
In a court filing in Texas, officials stated that Boeing failed to \"design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.\"
🚨 What's the deal? A recent in-flight incident on January 5 raised red flags about ongoing safety and quality issues at Boeing. During an Alaska Airlines flight, a panel blew off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet—just two days before the 2021 agreement protecting Boeing expired.
This turn of events opens the door for potential criminal prosecution over the earlier crashes, which could slam Boeing with hefty fines and stricter oversight. Talk about a plot twist!
📅 What's next? The Justice Department has directed Boeing to respond by June 13 and plans to decide whether to prosecute by July 7.
Boeing isn't taking this sitting down. In a statement on Tuesday, the company said, \"We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue. As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.\"
Stay tuned, aviators! 🛫 This saga is still unfolding, and we'll keep you updated on every twist and turn.
Read More:
Boeing's safety culture under fire at U.S. Senate hearings
Reference(s):
U.S. says Boeing breached 2021 737 MAX criminal prosecution deal
cgtn.com
