Post by : Rameen Ariff

Paris, France: A French appeals court has opened a new trial on Monday against Air France and Airbus, 16 years after flight AF447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board.

The flight, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009, went down during a midnight storm. The aircraft’s temporary loss of speed data, caused by iced-up sensors, led the pilots to mishandle the situation, pushing the plane into an aerodynamic stall.

A lower French court had cleared both companies of corporate manslaughter in 2023 after a historic trial. The earlier proceedings highlighted concerns about the performance of the sensors, also known as pitot probes, and discussions between Air France and Airbus regarding pilot training and aircraft safety.

After nine weeks of evidence, a Paris judge noted four acts of negligence by Airbus and one by Air France, but concluded that these did not legally link the companies to the crash. Prosecutors appealed, requesting a new two-month trial to fully examine the evidence.

The AF447 disaster remains one of the most widely discussed incidents in aviation history, prompting significant changes in both technical procedures and pilot training. Prosecutors argue that Airbus responded too slowly to sensor issues and that Air France did not adequately train its pilots for such emergencies.

Air France and Airbus have consistently denied criminal wrongdoing. The new trial is also seen as an opportunity for the families of victims, who protested the earlier verdict, to seek accountability. Chief executives of both companies are expected to make statements during the hearing, which begins at 1:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT).

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