Air France Crash: Aviation bosses heckled as trial begins

The bosses of Airbus and Air France have been greeted with cries of “shame” at the opening of a long-awaited trial in Paris connected with a deadly 2009 plane crash off Brazil.

The firms deny involuntary manslaughter in the loss of the Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

Investigators found the pilots had lost control when air-speed sensors froze, and all 228 people on board died.

Families of the deceased have campaigned for years for a trial.

Relatives shouted protests as Air France Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anne Rigail and Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed their condolences during opening statements.

Faury told reporters “it will be a difficult trial” and that the company wanted to contribute to “truth and understanding”. Ms Rigail expressed “the deepest compassion” after telling the court Air France would never forget its worst-ever accident.

But Faury’s remarks met cries of “shame” and “too little, too late”.

The Air France Flight 447 crashed hours after departing from Rio de Janeiro, having run into a high-altitude thunderstorm.

After a years-long search for the plane’s black boxes, investigators concluded that speed sensors on the plane failed and gave false readings, causing the plane to stall.

Agencies