Boeing 737 MAX

Police officers conduct a raid at Muan International Airport in Muan, some 288 kilometres southwest of Seoul on Jan. 2, 2025.

South Korean police on Thursday raided the offices of Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of the probe into the fatal crash of a Boeing 737-800 plane that killed 179 people.

2024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company's jets crash-landed in South Korea on Dec. 29, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing.

Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington, on June 25, 2024.

Boeing said on Monday it had reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) over two fatal 737 MAX crashes, which court papers show would see the aviation giant plead guilty to fraud.

Boeing is giving subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems $425 million in advance payments so it can maintain production and allow the U.S. aviation giant to fulfill its orders, a regulatory filing has shown.

Boeing has faced intense scrutiny since a near-catastrophic incident in January, when a fuselage panel blew off of a 737 MAX mid-flight.

The incident occurred on a Transavia France Boeing 737 aircraft operating a flight from Athens to Paris

In February last year, a new Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane was on one of its first flights when an automated stabilizing system appeared to malfunction, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing soon after they took off.

Airline tickets during the peak summer months in Europe are likely to increase in price again this year by up to 10%, according to Ryanair, due to issues with Boeing and Airbus planes.

Boeing came under renewed pressure on Jan. 23 as the head of Alaska Airlines said inspections carried out after a dangerous incident had found many loose bolts on its 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that airlines inspect door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER jets after a blowout on another type of aircraft with a similar mid-cabin exit earlier this month.

Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun took responsibility on Tuesday for a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines incident last week, vowing "complete transparency" as the aviation giant tries to pivot from its latest crisis.