New York, New York - The Justice Department has reached a preliminary agreement with Boeing allowing the aviation giant to pay $1.1 billion in a long-running criminal probe over deadly 737 MAX crashes, averting a trial, US officials announced Friday.

The "agreement in principle" would dismiss a criminal charge against Boeing over its conduct in the certification of the MAX, which was involved in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed 346 lives, the Justice Department said.

A judge must approve the accord, which would scuttle a federal criminal trial scheduled for June in Fort Worth, Texas.

Family members of some MAX victims slammed the proposed settlement as a giveaway to Boeing.

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"The message sent by this action to companies around the country is, don't worry about making your products safe for your customers," said Javier de Luis in a statement released by attorneys for plaintiffs suing Boeing.

But the DOJ, in its brief, cited other family members who expressed a desire for closure, quoting one who said, "The grief resurfaces every time this case is discussed in court or other forums."

Family members of more than 110 crash victims told the government "they either support the Agreement specifically, support the Department's efforts to resolve the case pre-trial more generally or do not oppose the agreement," the filing said.