PARIS, May 12 — Air France and Airbus must stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2009 crash of a Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight that killed all 228 people on board, a Paris court ruled on Wednesday
Flight AF447 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean during a storm on June 1, 2009, the deadliest crash in Air France’s history.
With the decision the court followed the prosecutor’s recommendation, overturning an earlier court decision to drop the case against the French flagship carrier and Europe’s top aircraft maker.
Lawyers for Airbus immediately said that they would lodge an appeal.
It took two years to find the wreckage of the Airbus A330 jet, which was eventually located by remote-controlled submarines at a depth of 3,900 metres.
Investigators determined the crash was caused by pilot errors, who were disorientated by faulty speed monitoring equipment. — AFP
