The stakes are high – The Polish carrier is demanding compensation of over USD 250 million.
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PLL LOT has such allegations
The Polish carrier's lawyers do not mince their words, accusing the company of intentionally misleading them regarding the safety and technical specifications of the machines.
— This case is about Boeing's lies and fraud and the devastating financial damage it caused – said Anthony Battista, lawyer representing LOT Polish Airlines, in his opening speech.
The key point of the dispute is the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), responsible for automatic correction of the flight path. According to LOT Boeing concealed the full nature of the system from the market and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to avoid the need for costly pilot training.
Airbus vs. Boeing: a choice based on error?
He testified before the court, among others: former operations director of LOT, Maciej Wilk. He emphasized that the lack of the need for “extensive and expensive” pilot training was the decisive argument why Polish airlines chose the MAX model instead of the competitive Airbus A320.
According to the lawsuit, Boeing consciously created the image of the 737 MAX model as a machine almost identical in operation to older versions, which turned out to be untrue after two tragic disasters – a Lion Air flight in 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in 2019. As a result of these events, which killed a total of 346 people, the MAX fleet around the world was grounded for almost two years.
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Defense of the concern and the scale of losses
Boeing strongly denies allegations of fraud. The American giant's defense line is based on the fact that after recertifying the machines, LOT continues to operate them. According to the company, the fact that the planes are currently flying in the colors of a Polish carrier undermines the claims of “fraud on a multi-million scale.”
However, LOT responds that the two-year break in flights has caused a huge hole in the company's budget. Losses estimated at a quarter of a billion dollars. include not only the costs of leasing machines that could not make money, but also the need to reorganize the network of connections and rent replacement aircraft.
