French court drops charges against Air France, Airbus over fatal 2009 crash

Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-05 20:36:58|Editor: xuxin
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PARIS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- French investigating magistrates on Thursday dismissed charges against the country's main flag carrier Air France and Europe's plane maker Airbus over the fatal crash of flight AF447 between Rio de Janeiro and Paris in 2009, local media reported.

Citing a judicial source, state-run France Info radio said the judges did not find enough ground for prosecution after 10-year investigation into the crash of the Airbus A330 jet into the sea on June 1 a decade ago.

In July 2019, French prosecutors proposed that Air France face trial for manslaughter and negligence over the fatal accident in which 228 people died.

They argued that the company was aware of technical problems with a key speed-measuring sensor on its plane, but had failed to inform or train pilots on how to fix the problem.

Representatives of an association of families of victims said they intend to appeal the magistrates' decision, which they described as a "denial of justice," the report said.

"It's an affront to the families of the victims but also to justice itself. How not to think that this decision is guided by economic interests superior to those of justice?" said the association.

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