Boeing to set aside $50M for victims’ families

Boeing announced Wednesday that it will set aside $50 million for financial assistance for families affected by a pair of fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes.

The $50 million is an initial expenditure of a previously announced $100 million fund designated for family and community needs for those affected by the crashes, the company said in a statement. 

“The tragic loss of life in both accidents continues to weigh heavily on all of us at Boeing, and we have the utmost sympathy for the loved ones of those on board,” Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement. “We hope affected families receive needed assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible.” {mosads}

The announcement came on the day that one of those family members criticized the company in testimony to a House subcommittee. Paul Njoroge, who lost his wife and three children in the March Ethiopian Airlines crash, slammed the company in testimony before the House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation on Wednesday.

A total of 346 people were killed in the October and March crashes, prompting the U.S. and other countries worldwide to ground the 737 Max planes.

“I paid for plane tickets that was to be a safe flight,” Njoroge said. “I did not know all of the information of which Boeing knew about how dangerous that plane was, yet the corporation allowed 157 people to board that dangerous plane that could not land safely.”

The Hill has reached out to Boeing for comment on his testimony. 

“We truly regret the loss of lives in both of these accidents and we are deeply sorry for the impact to the families and loved ones of those on board,” the company told The Hill in a Tuesday statement. “We are committed to working with the communities, customers and the aviation industry to help with the healing process.” 

The company previously said the $100 million fund would “support education, hardship and living expenses for impacted families, community programs, and economic development in impacted communities.”