NAIROBI, Kenya – Thirty-two Kenyan families who lost relatives in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash are set to receive a combined $87.3 million (approximately Sh11.3 billion) in fresh compensation following the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle involving aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Each of the affected families is expected to receive approximately $2.73 million, equivalent to about Sh353 million, under the latest compensation arrangements.
The payout comes more than seven years after Flight 302 crashed shortly after departing Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on its way to Nairobi.
The families were represented in legal proceedings in the United States by Chicago-based Ribbeck Law Chartered, which has confirmed that the legal process has been finalised and that final disbursements will follow.
The latest payment comes on top of compensation that some of the families had already received through earlier interim settlements. Including those earlier payments,the estimate of the total financial recovery for the 32 households will rise to approximately Sh17.3 billion.
The latest disbursement therefore represents another major stage in the families’ long-running pursuit of compensation after losing their loved ones.
The new payout is linked to compensation arrangements involving Boeing, the manufacturer of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved in the crash.
The compensation is connected to a $444.5 million victim compensation fund established as part of a wider agreement involving Boeing and the United States Department of Justice.
The fund was designed to compensate victims and families affected by the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610.
Ribbeck Law Chartered has been involved in representing families affected by Flight 302 and said the legal work relating to the Kenyan families has now been completed.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled passenger flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10, 2019. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 took off from Bole International Airport and crashed approximately six minutes later near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa.
All 157 people aboard the aircraft died. The victims included passengers from more than 30 countries. Kenya recorded the highest number of victims from a single nationality, with 32 Kenyan citizens losing their lives in the disaster.
The crash devastated families across continents and triggered an international investigation into the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Flight 302 became the second fatal crash involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8 within a period of less than six months. In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 people aboard.
Investigators found important similarities between the two accidents.
Particular attention focused on the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), an automated flight-control system designed to help address changes in the aircraft’s handling characteristics. Investigations and subsequent legal proceedings examined Boeing’s design decisions, certification processes, pilot training and the operation of MCAS.
The two crashes eventually led to the worldwide grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for almost two years while regulators required changes to the aircraft and its operating procedures.
Families of victims pursued compensation through legal action in the United States, where Boeing faced extensive litigation following the two 737 MAX disasters. The proceedings examined Boeing’s responsibility for the aircraft and the circumstances that contributed to the crashes.
The compensation process has involved negotiations, settlements and separate legal claims by families of individual victims. In some cases, families have pursued significantly larger individual awards through jury trials.
Although the payout represents a substantial financial settlement, the money comes more than seven years after families lost relatives in circumstances that changed their lives permanently.
The victims included professionals, businesspeople, students and families travelling between Ethiopia and Kenya. Many of the passengers were travelling to Nairobi for work, family commitments and other personal reasons. The crash also affected the wider Kenyan aviation and business community, given the large number of Kenyan nationals aboard the flight.
