SEATTLE— LOT Polish Airlines (LO) has accused Boeing of concealing critical safety concerns linked to the 737 MAX aircraft during the airline’s fleet expansion campaign in 2016, according to arguments presented in a U.S. federal court in Seattle this week.
The lawsuit, being heard in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, centers on claims that Boeing misrepresented the safety and pilot training requirements of the Boeing 737 MAX while competing aggressively against the Airbus A320neo family.
LOT argues that those alleged misrepresentations caused major financial damage after the worldwide grounding of the aircraft in 2019.
Boeing Trial Begins
LOT filed the lawsuit in 2021, seeking compensation for revenue losses and operational disruption caused by the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX fleet following two fatal crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.
During opening statements, attorneys representing LOT alleged that Boeing intentionally withheld information about the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a flight-control software later identified as a central factor in both accidents that killed 346 people.
According to the airline’s legal team, Boeing marketed the aircraft as a cost-effective replacement for earlier 737 variants because pilots would not require extensive simulator training.
LOT executives argued that the promise of minimal transition training played a decisive role in the airline’s decision to lease 15 MAX aircraft.
Former LOT executive Maciej Wilk told jurors that shifting to the Airbus A320 family would have required expensive additional pilot training, making Boeing’s offer financially attractive during a difficult period for the carrier.
MCAS Safety Claims
The dispute focuses heavily on Boeing’s handling of MCAS development and certification before the aircraft entered service.
LOT alleges Boeing failed to fully disclose concerns surrounding the system while negotiating sales with airlines worldwide.
MCAS was designed to automatically push the aircraft’s nose downward under certain flight conditions.
Investigators later concluded that faulty sensor data repeatedly activated the system in the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes.
LOT’s attorneys argued that Boeing continued assuring airlines and the public that the aircraft remained safe even after the first crash in Indonesia in 2018.
The airline stated it continued operating the MAX fleet until regulators globally grounded the aircraft after the second crash in Ethiopia in March 2019.
The grounding lasted nearly 20 months and forced airlines across the world to cancel flights, adjust schedules, and delay expansion plans.
Regulators eventually cleared the aircraft to return to service after Boeing redesigned MCAS and implemented enhanced pilot training requirements.
Boeing Responds to the Criticism
Boeing rejected LOT’s allegations in court and argued that the airline’s continued operation of the 737 MAX undermines its fraud claims.
Attorneys representing Boeing questioned why LOT still operates the aircraft if it truly believed the manufacturer intentionally deceived customers. Boeing also pointed to the aircraft’s return to global service following extensive regulatory reviews.
The aerospace manufacturer has already paid billions of dollars in compensation to victims’ families and reached confidential settlements with several airlines impacted by the grounding.
However, LOT is believed to be the first airline to take a MAX-related lawsuit to a full trial instead of reaching a settlement.
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