France, May 21 -- Air France and Airbus, Europe's leading aerospace manufacturer, were ordered to pay €225,000 each, the maximum fine for corporate manslaughter. They had been acquitted by a lower court and have denied any criminal liability.

In 2023, both Air France and Airbus were acquitted of involuntary manslaughter after a court ruled that, although mistakes had been made, there was insufficient proof that they directly caused the crash.

Flight AF447 departed Rio de Janeiro for Paris on 1 June, 2009, carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew aboard an Airbus A330. While crossing the Atlantic during stormy weather, the aircraft's pilots lost control and the plane plunged into the ocean. There were no survivors.

Air France, Airbus f...