Air France and Airbus Found Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter
In a significant ruling, both Air France and Airbus were declared guilty of corporate manslaughter related to a tragic 2009 plane crash that resulted in the deaths of 228 individuals, marking it as the deadliest aviation disaster in France’s history.
This decision was announced by the Paris Court of Appeal on Thursday, reversing previous acquittals from 2023.
Air France Flight 447, which was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, tragically went down in the Atlantic Ocean. There were no survivors. As detailed in various sources, the Airbus A330 vanished without issuing any distress signals, prompting a prolonged search for the aircraft and its passengers. While some debris and bodies were eventually retrieved, the main wreckage wasn’t located until two years later.
Both the airline and the aircraft manufacturer attributed the cause of the crash to pilot error, yet investigations indicated that there might have been pre-existing problems with certain instruments on the plane.
In the earlier ruling from 2023, judges noted that they could not establish a definitive link between any negligence on the part of the companies and the crash, which deeply troubled the families of the victims. There were also reports suggesting that prosecutors had raised concerns regarding the pilots’ training.
According to Le Monde, the Paris court determined that the two companies bore full responsibility and mandated that each pay the maximum penalty for corporate manslaughter, set at €225,000, or around $260,000.
In response to the verdict, Airbus acknowledged the court’s decision but announced plans to appeal to the Court of Cassation for a judicial review concerning the legal issues involved. The manufacturer also expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
“From the outset, Airbus has pursued a constant objective: to understand the facts, to seek the truth, to draw all necessary lessons and to act responsibly to continue improving aviation safety,” the company’s statement read.
