French court reverses acquittal and imposes fine of 225 thousand euros on each company for accident that killed 228 people in 2009
A and A were convicted this Thursday (May 21, 2026) of manslaughter for the accident of flight AF447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 during the route between Rio de Janeiro and Paris, according to the BBC. The tragedy left 228 dead.
The decision of the Paris Court of Appeal reversed the acquittal granted in 2023. Each company received a fine of 225 thousand euros (R$ 1.3 million), the maximum amount provided for in French legislation. The court stated that Airbus and Air France were “solely responsible” for the accident and pointed out “imprudence” and “negligence” that contributed to the crash of the Airbus A330.
The investigations identified that the freezing of the Pitot probes, responsible for measuring the aircraft’s speed, triggered the sequence of failures in an area of strong climatic instability close to the Equator.
According to the prosecution, Airbus underestimated the seriousness of the technical problem and did not adequately alert airlines. Air France was criticized for failures in pilot training for situations of this type.
The accident is considered the greatest tragedy in French aviation. Among the victims were passengers of 33 nationalities, including 61 French and 58 Brazilians. The crew was made up of 12 people: 11 French and 1 Brazilian.
During the process, Airbus and Air France denied criminal responsibility and attributed the accident to errors made by pilots in an emergency situation. The trial of the appeal will continue in September 2026, when representatives of the companies will be heard again by the French courts.
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