Airbus, Air France face criminal trial over Rio-Paris crash
Airbus and Air France went on trial on manslaughter charges Monday over the crash of a Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight in 2009 that plunged into the Atlantic amid thunderstorms, killing all 228 people aboard and leading to changes in air safety regulations.
The worst plane crash in Air France history killed people of 33 nationalities, and families from around the world are among the plaintiffs in the case. They fought for more than a decade to see the case come to trial.
“It’s very important that we made it to the trial stage . ... Thirteen years of waiting, it is almost inhuman,” said German Bernd Gans, who lost his daughter Ines in the crash. Another man came to the trial with a cardboard sign reading: “French Justice. 13 Years Too Late.”
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Air France CEO Anne Rigail were among those at the courthouse Monday. Both companies deny criminal wrongdoing, though Air France has already compensated families of those killed.
If convicted, each company faces potential fines of up to 225,000 euros ($219,000), a fraction of their annual revenues. No one risks prison as only the companies are on trial.
Still, the families see the trial itself as important after their long quest for justice, and aviation industry experts see it as significant for learning lessons that could prevent future crashes.
The investigation found multiple factors contributed to the crash of Flight 447. The trial is expected to focus on pilot error, and the icing over of external sensors called pitot tubes. (AP)