OREANDA-NEWS. The American company Boeing has agreed to pay 2.5 billion dollars in the case of two 737 MAX plane crashes that killed 346 people, Reuters agency reported. At the same time, the corporation will settle the charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, which were previously brought by the Department of Justice.

The agreement includes a criminal monetary penalty of 243.6 million, 1.77 billion of compensation to Boeing 737 MAX customers, and the establishment of a fund of 500 million dollars to compensate heirs, relatives and representatives of plane crash victims.

Boeing admitted in court documents that two of its pilots of 737 MAX misled the Federal Aviation Administration about the aircraft’s key safety system associated with both crashes. Boeing CEO David Calhoun said that the agreement “appropriately acknowledges how we fell short of our values and expectations.”

Operation of the Boeing 737 Max was suspended in March 2019, after two crashes. The crisis around the 737 Max led to numerous cancellations of orders for these airliners and multibillion-dollar losses for Boeing. At the end of June 2020, the US authorities allowed the Boeing 737 Max to begin test flights, which are necessary to obtain permission for them to resume operating. On December 29, Boeing 737 Max launched commercial flights in the United States.