Air France and Airbus cleared over 2009 Rio-Paris crash

A court in France has cleared Air France and Airbus of charges of involuntary manslaughter over a deadly crash in 2009 which killed all 228 people on board.

The Airbus A330 operated by Air France crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The court said that even if errors had been committed, it was not possible to prove a causal link between them and the disaster.

The ruling follows a public trial brought by relatives of the victims.

Relatives of the victims appeared stunned when the verdict was read out, standing up and then sitting down again, according to AFP news agency.

It was the first trial for corporate involuntary manslaughter to be held in France.

Air France and Airbus had always denied the charges, for which they were facing a maximum fine of €225,000 (£200,000; $247,000).

The companies said pilot error was to blame for the crash.

The investigation revealed that the plane had encountered a high-altitude thunderstorm hours after departing from Rio de Janeiro.

When the air-speed sensors froze and gave false readings, the pilots failed to follow correct procedure and lost control of the plane, which plunged into the ocean.

The judge said there had been several acts of negligence by both companies, but that there was not enough certainty to hold Airbus and Air France liable for the crash.

"A probable causal link isn't sufficient to characterise an offence," the judge said in his statement before a packed court room.

All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight were killed when the plane lunged into the sea from a height of 38,000ft (11,580m), making it the deadliest incident in Air France's history.