Could the Air France disaster ruling set a new legal precedent? | Global News Podcast

Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of corporate manslaughter over a plane crash in 2009, which killed all 228 people onboard. Flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during a storm.

A court had previously cleared both companies of criminal liability in 2023. But on Thursday, the Paris Appeals Court found the airline and aircraft manufacturer were "solely and entirely responsible", after an eight-week trial.

A group representing families of the victims said the justice system had finally recognised the pain for relatives facing ”a collective tragedy of unbearable brutality".

Both Air France and Airbus have denied the charges and say they will appeal.

Our international business correspondent Theo Leggett tells us this case could set a precedent for determining criminal liability in future aviation disasters.

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00:00 Introduction
00:35 What happened in 2009
02:19 Faulty airspeed sensors
04:29 Paris appeals court outcome
05:57 Why has it taken so long for justice?
07:14 How much reputational damage?
08:53 Possibility of a retrial
09:39 What lessons have been learned from this crash?

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