Air France and Airbus were on Thursday found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a Paris appeals court in connection to the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight that killed 228 people, the worst disaster in France's aviation history. Airbus and Air France later responded to the court decision saying they would appeal to France's highest court.
A Paris appeals court 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 ($261,000) – the maximum fine for corporate manslaughter.
While the penalties are symbolic, the ruling will be seen as significant reputational damage for both companies.
Airbus said it would appeal Thursday's decision in France's highest court, saying the ruling contradicted submissions by prosecutors and earlier judicial findings, including a 2023 acquittal.
Air France followed suit by announcing that it, too, would launch an appeal in France's highest court.
"The company is aware that this appeal prolongs what has already been a lengthy process, particularly for the families, but points out that Air France's criminal liability had previously been ruled out twice," Air France said in a statement.
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On June 1, 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.
'Indecency'
In November, prosecutor Rodolphe Juy-Birmann lambasted the behaviour of Air France and Airbus over the years.
"Nothing has come of it – not a single word of sincere comfort," he said.
"It's a rock-solid defence. One word sums up this whole circus: indecency."
Lawyers for the families have argued that both companies were aware of the problem with pitot tubes, which are used to measure flight speed, and that the pilots were not trained to deal with such a high-altitude emergency.
The court heard how a malfunction with the tubes, which became blocked with ice crystals during a mid-Atlantic storm, caused alarms to sound in the plane's cockpit and the autopilot system to switch off.
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Experts highlighted how, after the instrument failed, the pilots put the plane into a climb that caused the aircraft to stall and then crash into the ocean.
The companies were found guilty on all counts.
The court criticised Airbus for underestimating the seriousness of problems with sensors and failing to properly inform the crews of operating airlines.
Air France was found guilty of failing to provide pilot training tailored to situations involving icing of pitot tubes and to adequately inform flight crews.
In October, Christophe Cail, who represented Airbus, said in court the company's goal was "zero accidents".
"Even the smallest accident is a failure for our entire community," he said.
Pascal Weil, who represented Air France, said at the time that the company "had the means to conduct high-altitude training, but we did not do so because we sincerely believed it was unnecessary".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
