Group threatened with prosecution

Defect: Boeing 777 forced to turn back after take-off

A Boeing 777 of the Dutch airline KLM (symbolic image)(Bild: APA/AFP)

Another incident involving a Boeing aircraft: A 777 airplane had to turn back shortly after take-off on Sunday due to a technical defect - the plane landed at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where it had taken off shortly before. The Boeing Group is facing trouble in court following its series of breakdowns: the US Attorney General's Office is recommending charges against Boeing.

The wide-bodied Boeing 777 aircraft turned back around 40 minutes after take-off for safety reasons. The Dutch airline KLM was on its way to Rio de Janeiro and was flying over Belgium when a technical defect was reported, according to the Dutch air traffic control agency ANP.

Kerosene dumped over the North Sea
The plane landed safely and the occupants were not in any danger, a KLM spokesperson told the agency. The specific nature of the defect was not disclosed. According to the information, kerosene was dumped over the North Sea before the safe landing. Rescue teams were on alert at the airport - a routine measure in such cases.

The passengers of flight KLM705 were taken to Rio de Janeiro on another plane on Sunday, KLM said. The number of passengers affected was not initially disclosed.

In connection with two crashes of 737 MAX jets with a total of 346 fatalities, Boeing is now facing legal repercussions: according to insiders, the US Attorney General's Office is recommending to the Department of Justice that charges be brought against the aircraft manufacturer. In May, the Department of Justice found that the company had violated an agreement from 2021. 

Prosecutors see agreement violated
As part of the 2021 agreement, the Airbus rival paid 2.5 billion dollars to avert prosecution for fraud by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In return, the company had to revise its compliance procedures and submit regular reports. According to insiders, the prosecutors consider these requirements to have been violated. Boeing rejected the accusations.

The Department of Justice has until July 7 to decide whether to prosecute. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice initially declined to comment when asked by Reuters.

Last week, the relatives of the victims of the two crashes called on the public prosecutor's office to impose a fine of almost 25 billion dollars on Boeing and to take criminal action against the aircraft manufacturer.