A French appeals court has found Air France and Airbus guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash that killed 228 people, overturning their earlier acquittal in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in French history.
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that both companies were “solely and entirely responsible” for the crash of Air France Flight AF447 and imposed the maximum corporate manslaughter fine of €225,000 on each company.
The tragic accident occurred on June 1, 2009, when Air France Flight AF447 was travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris before crashing into the Atlantic Ocean after pilots lost control of the aircraft during a storm.
All 216 passengers and 12 crew members onboard the Airbus A330 aircraft died in the crash, including dozens of French and Brazilian nationals.
Investigators later discovered that ice crystals blocked the aircraft’s pitot tubes — sensors used to measure airspeed causing critical instrument failures and disabling the autopilot system.
The court ruled that Airbus underestimated the seriousness of known issues involving pitot tube malfunctions and failed to properly warn airline operators and flight crews.
Air France was also found guilty of failing to provide pilots with adequate high-altitude emergency training and proper guidance for handling icing incidents involving pitot tubes.
During the appeal trial, lawyers representing victims’ families argued that both companies were aware of recurring technical problems before the disaster occurred.
Both Airbus and Air France announced plans to challenge the ruling before France’s highest court.
Airbus said the decision contradicted previous judicial findings, including the companies’ acquittal in 2023, while Air France argued that its criminal liability had already been dismissed twice during earlier proceedings.
The eight-week appeal trial, which ran from September to December last year, reignited public debate over aviation safety, corporate responsibility and pilot training standards.
Relatives of the victims have spent years seeking accountability for the crash, which remains the deadliest accident in the history of Air France.
Prosecutors during the appeal proceedings criticised both companies for what they described as a lack of empathy and accountability toward the families of those who died in the disaster.
