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Read original →They Cried, They Hurt, But Kept Flying Boeing 737 MAX
Poland's LOT is suing Boeing for concealing 737 MAX problems, yet continues buying these aircraft. We examine the paradox of duopoly in aviation, where alternatives don't exist and delivery queues stretch a decade out.
Lawsuits in court, same planes on routes
Polish airline Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT accuses Boeing of selling it 15 aircraft in 2016 while concealing problems with the MCAS flight control system—the very algorithm that would become the key cause of two crashes killing 346 people two to three years later. At the trial's opening, LOT's attorney framed the lawsuit simply: a case about lies and deception by Boeing and the financial damage they caused.
The paradox is that the lawsuit runs parallel to purchases of these same models for LOT's fleet. By early 2026, LOT's fleet included around two dozen 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and in December 2025 the carrier received the first of 13 new deliveries scheduled for this year. Beyond current contracts, LOT's total order includes 55 aircraft under firm contract and options for 44 more, with the bulk of purchases specifically from Boeing.
LOT isn't alone in leveling claims against the aircraft manufacturer. Boeing itself has mentioned significant sums in out-of-court settlements with other affected airlines—specific figures undisclosed. The Polish flagship is simply the first to take its claims before a jury. All others who reported losses from the MAX grounding in 2019 settled without public trial and continue flying the same aircraft. And ordering new ones. In other words, Boeing's attorney's courtroom rhetoric—"is this how a fraud victim behaves?"—has a point.
The tab keeps growing
Boeing's direct financial losses from the 737 MAX saga have been accumulating for six years as of early 2026. In January 2021, the company reached a $2.51 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, of which $243.6 million went to criminal penalties, $500 million to a compensation fund for families of victims in the 2018 Lion Air-610 crash near Jakarta and the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines-302 crash near Addis Ababa, and $1.77 billion in compensation to airlines that purchased these models. Civil lawsuits continue in parallel: according to the company, by early 2025 over 90% of family claims had been resolved. In November 2025, a Chicago jury awarded $28 million to the family of a UN employee killed in the Ethiopian crash—the first jury verdict after years of out-of-court settlements.
And despite settlements and tragedies in the early and late 2020s, aircraft problems haven't ended. On January 5, 2024, a door plug—an emergency exit seal—blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 at around 16,000 feet. Investigation determined that four securing bolts had not been installed. After that incident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspected Boeing factories and its key contractor Spirit AeroSystems. The inspection revealed serious quality control problems: Boeing 33 of 89 manufacturing oversight audits, while Spirit AeroSystems failed 7 of 13.