SEATTLE/CHICAGO (Reuters) &#8211; Boeing Co said on Wednesday it would give $100 million over multiple years to local governments and non-profit organizations to help families and communities affected by the deadly crashes of its 737 MAX planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.



The move appears to be a step toward repairing the image of the world’s largest planemaker, which has been severely dented by the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane in March just five months after a similar crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia.



The two crashes killed a total of 346 people.



Boeing is the target of a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation into the development of the 737 MAX, regulatory probes and more than 100 lawsuits by victims’ families.



The multiyear payout is independent of the lawsuits and would have no impact on litigation, a Boeing spokesman said.



The $100 million, which is less than the list price of a 737 MAX 8, is meant to help with education and living expenses and to spur economic development in affected communities, Boeing said. It did not specify which authorities or organizations would receive the money.



Many of the passengers on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight were aid workers or involved with health, food, or environmental programs.



“If the money is spent on furthering the work of the people on that airplane it would be money well spent,” said Justin Green, a New York-based attorney representing several of the Ethiopia crash victims.



But he said the fund would not affect his clients’ courtroom strategy: “What families really want to know is why this happened. Could this have been avoided?”



Anton Sahadi, a representative of relatives of the Lion Air crash victims, said the families appreciated the $100 million fund but it did not mean they would stop lawsuits.



“We will continue to fight for our rights in the courts,” he said. “Boeing is doing this to build their image back.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">CHARM OFFENSIVE</h3>



After the Lion Air crash on Oct. 29 Boeing started developing a software&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airplane-southwest/boeing-sees-fix-for-latest-737-max-software-flaw-in-september-idUSKCN1TS26Q?enowpopup">here</a>&nbsp;fix on a stall-prevention system called MCAS believed to have played a role in that disaster, as well as in the Ethiopian crash.



The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide after the second crash and regulators must approve the fix and new pilot training before the jets can fly again.



But just last month, regulators identified a new problem that will delay commercial flight for the jets until October at the earliest.



Boeing is in settlement talks over the Lion Air litigation and has separately offered to negotiate with families of Ethiopian Airlines victims, but some families have said they are not ready to settle, exposing the planemaker to a lengthy court battle.



“The Boeing brand is worth far more than $100 million and the board and executive leadership understand that is what is at stake,” said William Klepper, a Columbia Business School professor.



Following an initial response that public relations experts criticized as stilted and lawyer-driven, Boeing has been on a charm offensive, with executives at the Paris Airshow last month repeatedly apologizing for the loss of life. Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg posts regular Twitter updates on efforts to safely return the 737 MAX to service and win back public confidence.



Robert Clifford, a Chicago-based attorney with several of the Ethiopian crash cases, suggested some of Boeing’s $100 million pledge could be spent assisting efforts to return the remains of victims to their families.



“These families are distraught about the effort to get back their loved ones,” Clifford said. “They want closure.”



Boeing has also offered to match any employee donations in support of the families and communities impacted by the accidents through December.



Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; additional reporting by Cindy Silviana in Jakarta and Tina Bellon in New York; editing by Bill Rigby and Grant McCool

Boeing makes $100 million pledge to help families and communities affected by deadly crashes of its 737 MAX planes in Ethiopia and Indonesia

NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; A Kenyan family has filed a lawsuit in Chicago against American aviation giant Boeing over a March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, lawyers and family members said on Tuesday. 



Siblings of 29-year-old engineer George Kabau said they wanted to force the company to release documents and emails relating to its 737 MAX 8 model, which was grounded worldwide after two major plane crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia.



A preliminary report released earlier this month indicated Ethiopian Airlines pilots wrestled with a computer system that repeatedly ordered the nose down because of faulty sensor data. The same system was a focus of the preliminary report into the October Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people.



Dozens of families are already suing Boeing over the Lion Air crash, and three lawsuits have already been lodged over the Ethiopian Airlines crash, by the families of two Americans, including consumer activist Ralph Nader’s great niece, and a Rwandan.



Lion Air’s co-founder on Monday lashed out at Boeing’s handling of the accidents.



Kabua’s sister, Esther Kabau-Wanyoike, choked up as she told a press conference that she wanted to use her brother’s death to improve aviation safety.



“He didn’t leave a child. My mum is devastated,” she said. “We can use his demise to ensure safer travel for all.”



U.S. lawyer Nomi Husain, who is also representing one of the American families, said the lawsuit was filed in Chicago late on Monday. The family was seeking to hold Boeing accountable, he said.



“We want to let the litigation process play out,” he said. “When you put profits over safety, you will be held accountable and you will pay a price.”



Boeing, which has previously declined to comment on individual lawsuits, and directed enquiries about the crash to investigating authorities, had no immediate comment on the latest case.



Kenya had the largest number of citizens on the flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. At least 32 Kenyans were on board, the airline said at the time, although that number may be larger because some of the travellers were dual nationals and the full manifest has still not been released.



Additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Georgina Prodhan

Kenyan family who lost a loved one in Ethiopian Airlines crash files lawsuit against Boeing

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One of the major challenge that Africa’s aviation faces is funding, and its one sector that is often overlooked but with huge opportunities says Chamsou Andjorn, SSA Director for Government Affairs &#038; Market Development at Boeing International.

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Boeing makes $100 million pledge to help families and communities affected by deadly crashes of its 737 MAX planes in Ethiopia and Indonesia

Kenyan family who lost a loved one in Ethiopian Airlines crash files lawsuit against Boeing

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Boeing makes $100 million pledge to help families and communities affected by deadly crashes of its 737 MAX planes in Ethiopia and Indonesia

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