Washington (dpa) - A Russian company is suing Boeing, accusing the plane manufacturer of mispresenting the airworthiness of the 737 MAX passenger jet, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Avia Capital Services - part of the Russian state-owned company Rostec - said they are seeking to terminate a contract with Boeing to supply 35 737 MAX jets, in the first international suit against the company since a pair of deadly crashes killed 346 people within five months.

A spokesperson for Avia told TASS that the company is open to a settlement with Boeing to avoid litigation.

According to the suit, first reported by the Financial Times, Avia gave Boeing a 35 million dollar deposit and is asking for the amount to be returned with interest along with 75 million dollars in lost profits.

Avia is seeking more money in punitive damages, the Financial Times reported.

Boeing has thousands of orders for the 737 MAX that have been delayed due to the crashes and worldwide concerns over the plane.

The 737 MAX series was grounded in March following two crashes involving the 737 MAX 8 variants of Boeing's best-selling jet, one in March in Ethiopia that killed 157 people and another in Indonesia in October that killed 189.

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