The aviation group Air France and aircraft manufacturer Airbus have been found guilty of corporate manslaughter by a Paris appeals court over the 2009 Rio–Paris crash, one of the most tragic accidents in aviation history.
The ruling relates to the disaster in which an Airbus A330 operating flight AF447 disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, during a storm. All 228 passengers and crew on board were killed, making it the deadliest aviation accident in France.
The court ordered both companies to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 each, overturning a 2023 lower court decision that had previously cleared them of criminal responsibility. While the penalties are symbolic in financial terms for companies of this size, the verdict marks a major legal milestone after a 17-year judicial process.
Families of the victims attended the hearing asthe decision was announced, following an eight-week trial that revisited the technical and organisational factors behind the crash.
The aircraft vanished from radar while flying at 38,000 feet over the Atlantic, and its wreckage was later discovered after an extensive search covering around 10,000 square kilometres of ocean floor. The black boxes were recovered in 2011 following months of deep-sea operations.
The crash, which claimed the lives of all 12 crew members and 216 passengers, remains the worst aviation disaster in French history.
Air France and Airbus have both consistently denied criminal wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. However, the appeals court ruling represents a significant moment for the families of victims, many of whom have long sought formal recognition of responsibility in the case.
