Court Acquits Airbus and Air France of Involuntary Manslaughter in 2009 Air France Flight 447 Crash, Disappointing Victims’ Families

A Paris court on Monday acquitted French plane manufacturer Airbus and national carrier Air France of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447. The flight, which was en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, resulted in the death of all 228 passengers and crew.

The court’s ruling came after state prosecutors admitted that it was “impossible” to pin the blame on either company. The magistrate said that “no criminal liability seems to me to be applicable”.

The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, after a catastrophic chain of events that lasted just four minutes and 24 seconds. Relatives of the victims said after the court’s ruling that they felt justice still had not been done.

Airbus and Air France had been charged over their alleged role in the disaster after a previous investigation was dropped in 2019. The court’s decision to acquit the companies of involuntary manslaughter has been met with disappointment from the victims’ families.

The crash of Air France Flight 447 has been a source of sorrow and frustration for the families of the victims for over a decade. While the court’s decision may bring some closure to the case, the families of the victims are still searching for justice.