The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and relatives of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims.
Relatives of some of the 228 passengers and crew who died when the Airbus A330 vanished in darkness during an Atlantic storm gathered to hear the verdict after their 17-year legal battle to pinpoint blame for France’s worst air disaster.
The court ordered the companies to pay the maximum fine for corporate manslaughter, €225,000 (US$261,720) each, following the request of prosecutors during the eight-week trial.
In 2023, a lower court had cleared the two companies, both of which have repeatedly denied the charges.
The maximum fines, amounting to just a few minutes of either company’s revenue, have been widely dismissed as a token penalty. But family groups have said a conviction would represent a recognition of their plight.
