A Paris appeals court on Thursday found Air France and Airbus guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight that killed 228 people, the worst disaster in France’s aviation history.
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that the French flag carrier and Europe’s leading aerospace manufacturer were “solely and entirely responsible,” ordering each to pay €225,000 – the maximum fine for corporate manslaughter.
While the penalties are symbolic, the ruling will be seen as significant reputational damage for both companies.
On June 1st, 2009, Air France Flight AF447, travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, was cruising over the Atlantic when the pilots lost control of the aircraft, causing it to plunge into the ocean.
There were no survivors among the 216 passengers and 12 crew on board the Airbus-built A330 aircraft, the dead including 72 French nationals and 58 Brazilians.
The companies, who have denied any criminal liability, blaming pilot error, had been acquitted by a lower court in 2023.
Although prosecutors at the time had asked for the charges to be dropped, they had subsequently lodged the appeal to allow “the full potential of the legal appeals procedure” to play out.
The eight-week appeal trial ran between September and December last year.
