Air France and Airbus were found guilty of manslaughter for the 2009 plane crash that killed 228 people.

The Paris Court of Appeal found the airline and the aircraft manufacturer guilty of corporate manslaughter for the incident, in which flight AF447, which was covering the Rio de Janeiro-Paris route, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The passenger plane suffered a loss of lift during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members.

A court had previously acquitted the companies in April 2023, but they were found guilty this Thursday after an eight-week appeal trial.

Relatives of some of the passengers, who included mainly French, Brazilian and German citizens, gathered on Thursday to hear the verdict.

The companies were asked to pay the maximum fine of 225,000 euros (US$261,720) each; However, some families of the victims have criticized the amount, considering it a symbolic sanction.

However, the ruling could be considered damaging to the companies' reputation.

Getty Images. The plane's black box was found after months of searching in deep waters in 2011.

During their closing arguments in November, deputy prosecutors said the companies' behavior had been “unacceptable,” accusing them of “talking nonsense and making up arguments.”

Both Airbus and Air France have repeatedly denied the allegations, and French lawyers believe they will likely file further appeals.

The BBC has contacted both companies for comment but they have not yet responded.

The investigation

The Airbus A330 disappeared from radar during a storm on June 1, 2009, and its remains were found after a long search over 10,000 km² of the seabed.

The black box was found after months of searching in deep waters in 2011.

All occupants of the aircraft died when it crashed into the sea from a height of 11,580 meters, becoming the deadliest incident in the history of French aviation.

The accident led to a complex recovery operation in a remote area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,127 km off the coast of South America.

During the initial searches, the French government was responsible for the investigation of the accident and Brazilian forces were responsible for the recovery of the bodies.

In the first 26 days of the search, 51 bodies were recovered, many of them still attached to their seats.

A relative who spoke to BBC News Brazil in 2019 said he was only able to bury his son's remains more than two years after the incident.

Nelson Marinho Filho, a 40-year-old engineer, nearly missed his flight from Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport and was the last person to board, according to Air France staff.

The victims came from 33 different countries, including 58 Brazilians, 61 French, 26 Germans, 2 Americans, 5 British and 3 Irish.