Air France and Airbus convicted of manslaughter in 2009 plane crash
The A330 sank into the sea on the flight between Rio de Janeiro and Paris with 228 passengers on board. Companies asked to pay 225,000 euros each
by Mara Monti
Air France and Airbus were found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the 2009 plane crash in which 228 people lost their lives.
The Paris Court of Appeal found the airline and the aircraft manufacturer guilty of culpable homicide for the accident in which the plane of flight AF447 between Rio de Janeiro and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.The two companies were found to be 'solely and totally responsible' for the accident, the most serious in the history of French aviation.
The airliner stalled during a storm and crashed into the water, killing all passengers and people on board. A court had previously acquitted the companies in April 2023, but they were found guilty following this appeal.
The Airbus A330 disappeared from radar during a storm on 1 June 2009 and its wreckage was found after a long search on a 10,000 square kilometre area of seabed. The black box was found after months of searching in the ocean depths in 2011.
All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight lost their lives when the plane crashed into the sea from an altitude of 38,000 feet (11,580 metres), making it the worst accident in French aviation history.
