Adesanmi, Bashua families, others to get Boeing’s $100 million special funds

•  Funds not part of statutory compensation
• 346 people died in October and March

The families of two Nigerians killed in the Ethiopian Airline’s plane crash, Professor Pius Adesanmi and Ambassador Abiodun Bashua, a former Joint Special Representative for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, Sudan are among the 155 others who are to benefit from Boeing’s $100 million special funds to assuage the pains of relatives left behind by the deceased.

Also on board the flight were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians, eight Chinese, eight Italians, eight Americans, and seven people each from France and United Kingdom.

There were also six Egyptians, five Germans, four people each from Slovakia and India, three people each from Austria, Russia, Sweden, and two people each from Spain, Israel, Morrocco and Poland.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX with registration number ET- AVJ, took off at 08.38am local time from Addis Ababa and lost contact at 08.44am.

 This also comprised passengers who were killed in Indonesia last year October when the B737MAX plunged into the sea killing all on-board.

The breakdown shows that each of the deceased families would pocket $289, 017.34, just as the plane maker said it was setting aside $100 million to assist the families of victims and communities impacted by the accidents in October and March that killed 346 people.

Boeing said in a statement on today said that the “funds will support education, hardship and living expenses for impacted families, community programs, and economic development in impacted communities. Boeing will partner with local governments and non-profit organizations to address these needs. This initial investment will be made over multiple years.”

The company was quick to explain that the funds will be available over the next several years and are not part of any compensation Boeing may have to pay to those who sue the company for damages related to accidents.

Days after the second 737 Max jet crashed in Ethiopia, the United States aviation regulatory body, the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] and other aviation regulators around the world grounded the airplane until the company could fix defects in the aircraft and prove it is safe for commercial flights.

The plane has now been grounded for more than three months and Boeing has said it is unlikely questions about the plane’s safety will be resolved until sometime in the September time frame.

Chairman and chief executive officer of Boeing, Dennis Muilenburg added: “We at Boeing are sorry for the tragic loss of lives in both of these accidents and these lives lost will continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and on our minds for years to come.

“The families and loved ones of those on board have our deepest sympathies, and we hope this initial outreach can help bring them comfort,” he said.

Nomi Husain, a Texas-based lawyer representing some of the families of victims of ET 302, said Boeing’s payment “doesn’t come anywhere close to compensating the families for what has been taken from them”.

The victims’ families won’t have to waive their right to sue Boeing if they take money from the fund, the company said.

The move comes as Boeing continues to feel backlash for how it designed the 737 Max earlier this decade.

Critics say the company rushed to build the plane and did not fully disclose issues regarding the 737 Max MCAS flight control software.

That software is suspected of causing crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In both accidents, investigators have not determined an official cause of the crash.

Wole Shadare