**A Landmark Criminal Conviction** On May 21, 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal delivered its verdict in one of the longest and most symbolic trials in French civil aviation history. Airbus and Air France were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the crash of Air France Flight 447 (AF447) on the night of May 31 to June 1, 2009, which claimed the lives of 216 passengers and 12 crew members aboard an Airbus A330-200. In the first instance, in April 2023, both companies had been acquitted on criminal charges, with the court only retaining civil liability — a decision that sparked incomprehension and anger among many victims' families. The public prosecutor appealed, and the retrial ran from September 29 to November 27, 2025, featuring highly technical debates and deeply moving testimonies. The appeals court imposed the maximum fine for legal entities — €225,000 each — and, crucially, affirmed their criminal liability, stating they were "solely and entirely responsible" for the crash. For families and pilot unions, this criminal recognition is a major symbolic turning point, even if the financial penalties remain modest relative to the scale of the tragedy. **Pitot Probes and Training Failures** The BEA's technical investigations had identified a chain of factors: icing of the Pitot probes, autopilot disconnection, inconsistent speed indications, and loss of control at high altitude leading to a prolonged stall. The court examined these elements to assess the respective obligations of the manufacturer and the airline regarding risk management, information dissemination, and training. According to the court's detailed findings, Airbus is faulted for underestimating the severity of recurring Pitot probe icing issues and for failing to inform operating airlines clearly, quickly, and comprehensively about the identified risks. Air France, for its part, is deemed deficient in training its crews for high-altitude stall scenarios, as well as in its late handling of prior Pitot probe incidents and the dissemination of safety information. For the public prosecutor and several pilot unions, including SNPL, the accident resulted from "a set of technical, operational, and organizational failures" and cannot be attributed solely to the actions of the pilots facing an extraordinary emergency. The appeals court's decision aligns with this logic, placing responsibility on both companies at the top of the safety chain, far beyond the cockpit. **ALTER Union Hails 'Historic' Decision and Pilot Rehabilitation** As a civil party in the case, the ALTER pilot union "takes note of this historic judicial decision" and emphasizes what it reaffirms: "in air transport, risk anticipation, consideration of experience feedback, and rapid dissemination of safety information are essential," the organization states. For ALTER, the ruling enshrines a safety culture requirement that extends beyond this single case. The union also highlights the court president's remarks about the three pilots — Marc Dubois, David Robert, and Pierre-Cédric Bonin: "The pilots truly tried everything to get out of this dreadful situation. I was certain of it; I became fully certain of it upon studying the file." These words, adds the union, "are essential for pilots who have sometimes been unfairly singled out as responsible for this catastrophe." ALTER further notes that "taking pilots' testimony into account was essential" and that "risk anticipation must be a permanent concern, which it was not for the leaders of the time." Beyond AF447, the union advocates for a safety culture built on transparency, experience feedback, risk anticipation, and genuine consideration of crew input. **Mixed Reactions from Families, Unions, and Companies** For the families, particularly those grouped in the Entraide et Solidarité AF447 association, this decision is seen as a form of justice delivered after nearly 17 years of legal struggle. Many speak of a belated but indispensable recognition of the responsibilities of major industrial players, even if the maximum fine of €225,000 per company seems trivial compared to 228 lives lost. ALTER "wishes to salute the remarkable commitment of the families and loved ones of the victims, whose dignity and determination ensured that this tragedy never fell into oblivion." The union also sends "fraternal thoughts to our colleagues from the SNPL and SPAF pilot unions, as well as to the representative organizations of commercial flight crew, also civil parties in this proceeding, who have fought alongside us for all these years in a demanding quest for truth and recognition."