New Delhi

A federal judge set a hearing for next month to decide whether to accept the guilty plea by Boeing to conspiracy related to the 737 Max jetliner, two of which crashed with 346 people killed.

Advertisment

Family members of several of those killed in the crashes have objected to the plea deal. They want to put Boeing on trial, where it could face stiffer sanctions.

US District Court Judge Reed O'Connor set a hearing for Oct. 11 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Boeing is accused of deceiving the regulators who cleared minimal, computer-based training for Boeing 737 pilots before they were allowed to fly the Max. Boeing wanted to prevent regulators from requiring flight simulator training, which would cost airline companies more money.

Advertisment

The Justice Department argued in court filings that conspiracy to defraud the government is the most serious charge it can prove. Prosecutors said that they did not possess proof that Boeing's actions directly led to the crashes in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia.

Relatives and lawyers of the victims have called the agreement a sweetheart deal that has overlooked the loss of many lives. Some of the lawyers claim that the Justice Department had leniently dealt with Boeing in the first place because it is a huge government contractor.

The settlement includes Boeing paying at least $243.6 million as a fine, investing $455 million in compliance and safety initiatives, and serving three years on probation.