A French appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio–Paris crash, marking a major development in a case that has stretched on for 17 years.
The ruling overturns a 2023 lower court decision that cleared both companies of blame for the disaster, in which 228 people were killed when an Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic during a storm.
Relatives of the victims listened in silence as the verdict was delivered. For some, it brought a sense of long-awaited recognition. Daniele Lamy, Head of the AF447 victims’ association, whose son died in the crash, said justice had been served.
The court imposed the maximum fine for corporate manslaughter, €225,000 ($261,720) on each company, a penalty widely seen as symbolic given the scale of the firms involved. However, families have argued that accountability and reputational consequences matter more than financial sanctions.
Both Airbus and Air France said they would challenge the decision in France’s highest court, signalling that the legal battle is far from over. Lawyers have warned that further appeals could prolong proceedings for years, and another full retrial cannot be ruled out.
The case has long exposed divisions over what caused the crash. A civil aviation investigation previously concluded that pilot error, following confusion linked to iced-up speed sensors, led to the aircraft stalling.
Prosecutors, however, argued that deeper failures within both the airline and the manufacturer contributed to the tragedy, including shortcomings in training and a lack of adequate response to known technical issues.
To secure convictions, prosecutors needed to prove not only negligence but also a direct link between those failings and the crash, a threshold that had not been met in earlier proceedings.
The verdict is the latest chapter in one of France’s most complex and closely watched aviation cases, with families continuing to seek answers and accountability nearly two decades after the disaster.
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A Paris appeals court will issue a verdict on Thursday on the 2009 crash of an Air France passenger jet after the airline and planemaker Airbus faced trial over corporate manslaughter.
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