French court finds Airbus, Air France guilty in 2009 crash
Key takeaways
- A Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over a 2009 air crash.
- Both companies have been ordered to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 ($260,971) each.
- The Paris Court of Appeal said that the French flag carrier and Europe's leading aerospace manufacturer were "solely and entirely responsible," for the disaster.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
A Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over a 2009 air crash. The disaster in the Atlantic Ocean claimed the lives of all on board Air France Flight 447.
https://p.dw.com/p/5E7Id The crash of Air France 447 occurred during an Atlantic storm [Archive picture of recovery operation in 2009]Image: epa/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement A French court on Wednesday delivered a dramatic verdict against Airbus and Air France over France's worst air disaster, ruling that both companies were guilty of corporate manslaughter in the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash off Brazil.
Both companies have been ordered to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 ($260,971) each. While the amount is symbolic, it damages the reputation of both companies signficantly.