A French appeals court will on Monday reopen the case against Air France and Airbus, 16 years after Flight AF447 tragically crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board.
The retrial comes after a lower court in 2023 acquitted both companies of corporate manslaughter charges. That ruling followed a historic public trial examining one of aviation’s most haunting mysteries—the disappearance of the Rio-to-Paris flight on June 1, 2009.
Investigations revealed that iced-up pitot probes, which measure airspeed, caused data loss in the cockpit. Pilots, unable to respond correctly, put the Airbus A330 into an aerodynamic stall, sending it into a fatal descent.
The case also highlighted long-standing concerns about Airbus’ handling of the pitot probe issue. Documents revealed discussions between the aircraft manufacturer and Air France as problems grew, raising questions over whether either party had acted swiftly enough.
During the 2023 trial, judges identified four acts of negligence by Airbus and one by Air France but ruled these did not establish a sufficient legal link to the crash. The verdict sparked outrage among families of victims, who pledged to continue their fight for accountability.
Prosecutors appealed, insisting Airbus delayed addressing known safety risks and Air France failed to adequately train its pilots for such emergencies. The appeals court has now scheduled a two-month retrial, which is expected to thoroughly re-examine the evidence rather than limit itself to legal arguments.
The AF447 disaster has been one of the most analyzed aviation incidents, prompting worldwide changes in cockpit training and aircraft safety protocols. Despite this, bitter divisions remain between the two French giants, each seeking to shift responsibility for the crash.
Both Airbus and Air France deny criminal wrongdoing. If convicted, the maximum corporate fine would be €225,000 (around $260,000). While modest in financial terms, prosecutors argue the retrial carries symbolic weight and could provide families with a sense of justice.
Executives from both companies, including Air France’s leadership and Airbus’ top officials, are expected to issue statements during Monday’s opening hearing at 1:30 p.m. local time in Paris.
For relatives of those lost on Flight AF447, the renewed trial offers another chance to confront the lingering question of whether corporate negligence contributed to France’s worst air disaster in decades.
