Airline Ethiopian Airlines must not accept a settlement proposal from aircraft maker Boeing in the aftermath of the disaster with the offending aircraft 737 MAX in 2019.

According to lawyers in the US, the company should sue the aircraft manufacturer and thereby enforce precise damages, according to the letter in the American newspaper Seattle Times’ hands.

157 people were killed in the crash involving flight ET302. In writing to Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, the lawyers state that Boeing’s offer is “grossly” short of what the airline could receive in compensation mainly because Boeing has accepted responsibility for fraud in the certification of the aircraft by regulatory agencies.

Lawyers say the settlement Boeing has offered “only a fraction” of the actual damage. According to the letter writers, accepting the settlement would be a huge political and financial mistake for society. Amounts were not mentioned.

Ethiopian Airlines, like many peers in the industry, is desperate for money. Before the disaster, it was one of the largest and most successful airlines in Africa. But the crash of flight ET302 and having to keep the 737 MAX aircraft on the ground caused a significant drop in revenue for the company.

Revenues came under even more pressure last year when the corona crisis largely halted air traffic. The plane crashed shortly after departure from Addis Abeba airport. The plane was bound for Kenya.