French Court Finds Airbus and Air France Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter

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PARIS: A Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the tragic 2009 Rio-Paris flight disaster that killed 228 people, marking a historic reversal in France's worst-ever aviation case.

The landmark ruling completely overturns a 2023 lower court acquittal that had deeply angered the victims' families. The appeals court handed down the maximum possible statutory fine of €225,000 ($242,000) to each company.

Investigators successfully argued that both corporations exhibited criminal negligence. Specifically, Airbus failed to properly address known icing vulnerabilities in the aircraft's speed sensors, while Air France failed to provide pilots with the necessary training to handle high-altitude stalls.

On June 1, 2009, Flight AF447 plunged directly into the Atlantic Ocean during a severe equatorial storm. The wreckage and flight data recorders were only recovered two years later from the ocean floor. 

While the verdict brings long-sought validation to families from 33 nationalities, legal experts predict further appeals to France's highest judicial body.