Russian client sues Boeing to cancel Boeing 737 MAX order

A Russian aircraft leasing company confirmed Tuesday that it has filed the first US lawsuit to cancel an order for 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets.

Avia Capital Services (ACS), a subsidiary of state-owned Russian conglomerate Rostec, confirmed to AFP a report of the lawsuit in the Financial Times, which said it was the first civil action brought by a customer against the US aerospace giant over the 737 MAX.

The FT reported that ACS had filed the suit in Chicago claiming that Boeing had "intentionally" failed to disclose information about the airworthiness of the jet to its customers.

It accuses Boeing of negligence in selling the "defective" aircraft. ACS is seeking USD 115 million in compensatory damages, and several times that amount in punitive damages, the FT reported.

Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded indefinitely after two crashes killed a total of 346 people, one involving Indonesia's Lion Air and the other involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet.

Boeing has developed a software upgrade to the 737 MAX after problems with a flight handling system were tied to the crashes.

But the jet -- the company's best-selling aircraft -- has still not been cleared by regulators for liftoff.

Boeing reported a loss of USD 2.9 billion for the second quarter of this year, its biggest loss ever as the 737 MAX crisis dragged on.

That was in large part a result of a USD 4.9 billion charge taken by the company as it negotiates compensation deals with customers.