Boeing May Face Criminal Charges for Breaking 2021 Safety Agreement, DOJ Says

Boeing could be facing criminal charges for violating a previous agreement to improve the safety of its passenger planes, according to the Department of Justice.

In a court filing on Tuesday via Associated Press, the DOJ claimed that the recent probes on the company potentially overturn the court's earlier decision to waive anti-fraud punishments on Boeing.

Boeing May Face Criminal Charges for Breaking 2021 Safety Agreement, DOJ Says
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The safety agreement was part of its $2.5 billion settlement deal in 2021 after two 737 passenger jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 passengers combined.

The ensuing fiasco has resulted in the company's former CEO Dennis Muilenburg being fired, only to be replaced by Dave Calhoun who is now also stepping down by the end of this year amid controversies.

The justice department first launched a criminal investigation on the aerospace manufacturer in March following the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident last January where it had to make an emergency landing after one of its door plugs blew off midflight.

Flight 1282 was operating a Boeing 737 MAX 9 when the incident happened.

Boeing is given 30 days to respond to the decision or face charges once court hearings begin by July 7.

In response, the aircraft maker said it will "engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement."

Boeing Faces More Federal Investigation Amid 737 Fiasco

The DOJ probe is not the only investigation currently on Boeing's plate as more production flaws were uncovered.

Multiple news outlets earlier reported of Flight 1282 passengers receiving messages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they could be 'victims of crime."

The US Federal Aviation Agency has also opened another investigation on the company after it admitted that some of its employees previously falsified inspection records for its 787 Dreamliner jets.

This follows after the agency released earlier audits noting that Boeing's 737 jets are riddled with safety flaws during the production process.

More Boeing Planes Suffer Flight Mishaps

While Boeing has repeatedly promised to improve the safety of its planes, more Boeing planes are reportedly suffering technical mishaps during flight.

Just in May alone, three Boeing planes had to make emergency landings, including one that resulted in 11 passengers injured after the plane skidded off the runway in Senegal.

Much more recently, a United Airlines flight from Japan to Guam had to make a return to the airport minutes after takeoff after detecting irregularity in the wing flap, Kyodo News reported.

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