The Guardian
Boeing agrees to $25bn settlement in criminal probe
Internal messages reveal company concealed knowledge of defects
The crisis enveloping Boeing has deepened with the release of hundreds of internal messages that appear to show staff concealing knowledge of defects on its 737 Max aircraft.
The aerospace giant has agreed to pay $25bn (£18bn) to settle US criminal charges that it hid information from safety regulators.
The messages, reported by the New York Times, reveal that engineers and executives discussed problems with the plane's software, known as MCAS, which has been linked to two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
In one message, an engineer wrote: "I still haven't been forgiven by God for the covering up I did last year." Another said: "I'm so f***ing tired of lying to regulators."
Boeing has admitted that it made "mistakes" and "failed to fully understand" the problems with the 737 Max. However, the company has denied that it knowingly concealed information from safety regulators.
The criminal settlement is a major blow to Boeing, which is already facing billions of dollars in lawsuits from the families of the victims of the crashes.
The company's shares have fallen by more than 20% since the first crash in October 2018. The 737 Max has been grounded since March 2019, and it is unclear when it will be allowed to fly again.
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