Families welcome guilty verdict over Mali crash that killed 116

What the report says

Relatives of people killed in the 2014 Air Algérie crash have welcomed a Paris court’s decision finding Spanish airline Swiftair guilty of involuntary manslaughter, more than 12 years after the disaster. BBC Africa reported that the crash killed all 116 people on board flight AH5017, which was travelling from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Algiers when it went down in northern Mali on 24 July 2014.

The court fined Swiftair €225,000, the maximum penalty mentioned in the report, and said negligence in the company’s training contributed to the accident. Swiftair has 10 days to appeal. According to the article, the airline’s defence rejected the French investigation, while Spanish prosecutors had previously closed their own inquiry without bringing charges.

Families who lost relatives said the verdict brought relief, even though no legal outcome could undo the loss. One bereaved relative told the BBC the long wait for a ruling had been difficult. Another family member said the decision was an important step toward recognising criminal responsibility.

The report says investigators concluded the aircraft’s anti-icing system was not activated, allowing ice crystals to form on pressure sensors and causing an automatic reduction in engine power. The victims included passengers and crew from several countries, including France, Burkina Faso, Spain, Algeria and Lebanon.