A French appeals court has convicted Air France and Airbus of involuntary manslaughter over the 2009 crash of a Rio–Paris flight that killed 228 people, marking a major reversal of a previous ruling.
The Paris Court of Appeal found both companies “solely and entirely responsible for the crash of flight AF447,” and ordered each to pay €225,000 — the maximum fine under corporate manslaughter laws.
The ruling overturned a 2023 lower court decision that had cleared both firms of criminal liability, despite acknowledging mistakes.
Presiding judge Sylvie Madec said the earlier court had failed to consider “the existence of the causal chain within which the pilots’ actions occurred, and which led to the deaths of all the passengers.”
She added, “The AF447 crash was a disaster waiting to happen — and one that could have been avoided if each of the companies involved had fully grasped the seriousness of the failure.”
Airbus said it would appeal the decision, while Air France had not immediately commented.
The case relates to the crash of Air France Flight 447 on June 1, 2009, when the Airbus A330 lost control over the Atlantic Ocean after flying through a storm. All 228 passengers and crew were killed, making it France’s worst aviation disaster.
Investigators said the aircraft’s speed sensors (pitot tubes) became iced over, triggering cockpit alarms and causing the autopilot to disconnect. The pilots then inadvertently put the plane into a climb that led to a stall and fatal descent.
Lawyers for victims’ families argued the companies failed to properly address known sensor issues and did not adequately train pilots for such failures. The court also found Air France had not sufficiently prepared its crews, while Airbus was criticised for underestimating the seriousness of the technical problems and failing to properly communicate risks to airlines.
The decision was welcomed by families of victims, who said the ruling finally recognised the “pain of the families faced with a collective tragedy of unbearable brutality” after a 17-year legal battle.
Airbus, however, maintained that pilot error and crew decisions played a central role, and said the legal battle would continue
