We bring you a major development in one of the most tragic and high-profile cases in modern aviation history. Boeing has reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Department of Justice that would allow the aerospace company to avoid criminal prosecution over the two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft — incidents that claimed the lives of 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

According to a court filing made public Friday, the deal would prevent Boeing from facing trial next month. However, the agreement still requires approval from a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas, who previously rejected a similar deal due to concerns over how diversity and equity policies impacted the selection of an independent compliance monitor.

Under the proposed agreement, Boeing would formally admit to conspiring to obstruct the Federal Aviation Administration by impeding the operations of its Aircraft Evaluation Group. The company will also commit to over $1.1 billion in payments and safety investments. This includes:

• $444.5 million for the families of crash victims,

• $455 million to improve safety, compliance, and quality control across Boeing’s operations, and

• An additional $243.6 million in fines.

In its filing, the Justice Department called the agreement a “fair and just resolution that serves the public interest,” noting that it holds Boeing accountable while avoiding the uncertainty of a lengthy trial.

However, not everyone agrees. Attorneys representing the families of those who perished in the 2018 and 2019 crashes say they plan to challenge the deal in court. Paul Cassell, one of the lead lawyers, called the proposed resolution “unprecedented and obviously wrong for the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.”

The crashes — first in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October 2018, and then in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March 2019 — exposed serious flaws in Boeing’s MCAS flight control software and triggered a global grounding of the 737 Max fleet.

A previous plea deal reached in 2021 was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor last December, in part due to concerns about the selection process for Boeing’s oversight monitor and a lack of input from victims’ families.

The Department of Justice says it will file the formal motion to dismiss charges and submit the written agreement by the end of next week. In the meantime, families and aviation safety advocates are pushing for more transparency and stronger accountability.

We will continue to track this story and bring you updates as it unfolds.

Reporting by Katy Moore.