Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash
A French appeals court ruled both companies negligent in the AF447 disaster that killed 228 people on the Rio–Paris route. The verdict is a long-awaited turning point for the Brazilian and European families.
A Paris appeals court on 21 May convicted both Air France and Airbus of involuntary manslaughter. The ruling caps a legal process that has spanned more than 16 years since flight AF447 plunged into the Atlantic on 1 June 2009.
The court cited Airbus's negligence in updating the Pitot tube system and Air France's shortcomings in pilot training as central elements of the offence. A lower court had acquitted both companies in 2023, but the case was reopened on appeal after pressure from Brazilian, French and German families.
The flight carried passengers of 33 nationalities including three newborns; the largest national contingent was 58 Brazilians. The verdict allows fines of up to 200,000 euros for Air France and 225,000 euros for Airbus; both companies said they would appeal. Families said the civil compensation process will now resume.
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