PARIS: A French appeals court has found Air France and Airbus guilty of “manslaughter” over the 2009 Rio de Janeiro–Paris plane crash that killed 228 people.
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that both companies were “solely and entirely responsible” for the crash of Air France Flight AF447, which plunged into the Atlantic Ocean after stalling in stormy weather.
The court ordered Air France and Airbus to pay the maximum fine allowed under French law for corporate manslaughter — €225,000 ($261,720) each.
The penalties are largely symbolic in relation to the scale of the disaster.
Both companies said they would appeal the ruling to France’s highest court.
Deadliest aviation disaster
Flight AF447 was travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009, when it disappeared from radar over the Atlantic.
All 228 people on board — 216 passengers and 12 crew members — were killed.
The passengers came from 33 countries, including France, Brazil and Germany.
Among them were 61 French nationals, 58 Brazilians and 26 Germans.
Victims also included five Britons and three Irish nationals. One of the Britons was 11-year-old Alexander Bjoroy from Bristol.
The Irish victims included three doctors — Eithne Walls from County Down, Jane Deasy from County Dublin and Aisling Butler from County Tipperary.
A total of 126 men, 82 women, seven children and one infant were on board. The crew included mostly French nationals and one Brazilian.
Investigation and technical failure
Investigators later concluded that the aircraft stalled after its speed sensors, known as pitot tubes, malfunctioned during a high-altitude storm.
According to French investigators, confusion in the cockpit over faulty airspeed readings led pilots to pull the nose of the aircraft upwards instead of down, preventing recovery from the stall.
A combination of technical failure and pilot response was identified as the cause of the crash, according to findings cited in earlier investigations.
The aircraft disappeared in a remote section of the Atlantic, around 700 miles (1,127km) from the South American coast.
The wreckage was later recovered after a 10,000 sq km search of the seabed.
The flight recorders were only discovered in 2011, nearly two years after the crash.
Court proceedings and verdict
Air France and Airbus had previously been cleared of criminal charges in April 2023.
However, they were retried and found guilty following an eight-week appeal hearing.
Prosecutors had argued during proceedings that the companies’ conduct was “unacceptable”.
They accused them of failing to respond adequately to known risks linked to aircraft sensors.
Relatives of victims attended the verdict hearing. Many have long criticised the length of the legal process and the limited financial penalties available under corporate manslaughter law.
Daniele Lamy, president of the AF447 victims’ association who lost her son in the crash, welcomed the ruling, saying it recognised the suffering of families affected by the disaster.
Airbus said it would appeal the decision to France’s highest court, arguing that the ruling contradicted earlier findings and prosecution submissions.
Both Airbus and Air France have consistently denied criminal liability in the case, while acknowledging civil responsibility.
