By Desire Emmanuel with Agency Reports
Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of manslaughter over a 2009 plane crash which killed 228 people, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on Thursday, May 21.
The Appeals Court in Paris, France, found the airline and aircraft manufacturer guilty of corporate manslaughter over the incident, in which flight AF447 between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
The passenger jet stalled during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all on board.
A court had previously cleared the companies in April 2023 but they were found guilty after this appeal.
The Airbus A330 vanished from radars during a storm on June 1, 2009, with its wreckage found after a long search of 10,000 square kilometres of sea floor.
The black box was found after two years of deep-sea searches in 2011.
All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight were killed when the plane crashed into the sea from a height of 38,000 feet, making it the deadliest incident in French aviation history.
Relatives of some of the passengers, which included mainly French, Brazilian and German nationals, gathered to hear the verdict on Thursday.
The companies have been asked to pay the maximum fine, $261,720 each – but some of the victims’ families have criticised the amount as a token penalty.
However, the ruling may be seen as causing damage to the companies’ reputations.
During their closing arguments in November, the deputy prosecutors said the companies’ behaviour had been “unacceptable”, accusing them of “spouting nonsense and pulling arguments out of thin air.”
Both Airbus and Air France had repeatedly denied the charges, and French lawyers believe they are likely to launch further appeals.
