A Paris appeals court has found Air France and Airbus guilty of manslaughter over a 2009 crash of flight AF447, which killed all 228 people on board after plunging into the Atlantic Ocean.
According to BBC News, the court held both companies guilty of corporate manslaughter in connection with the incident involving the Air France flight travelling between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France.
The court asked both companies to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 each ($261,720; £194,500).
The ruling overturned an earlier judgment delivered in April 2023, which had cleared both companies after repeatedly denying the charges.
The Airbus A330 aircraft disappeared from radar during a storm over the Atlantic Ocean, prompting an extensive search operation across about 10,000 square kilometres of sea floor.
The crash claimed the lives of all 216 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the flight after the aircraft plunged into the sea from an altitude of 38,000 feet.
During closing arguments in November, deputy prosecutors described the behaviours of the two companies as “unacceptable,” accusing them of “spouting nonsense and pulling arguments out of thin air”.
However, some victims’ families criticised the amount, describing it as a token penalty
