Trial starts: Flash Airlines case reopened after 20 years!

Trial starts: Flash Airlines case reopened after 20 years!

On January 3, 2004, a tragic flight for 135 French passengers and 13 crew members ended fatally when a Boeing 737 operated by Flash Airlines crashed off Sharm el-Sheikh just three minutes after take-off. The legal process of dealing with this accident continues to this day. More than 500 relatives of the victims have come forward as co-plaintiffs and are demanding justice.

Loud Small newspaper The former boss of Flash Airlines is currently being investigated for manslaughter. According to the public prosecutor's office, he used inadequately trained people who had previously worked as military pilots on scheduled flights. This decision apparently had fatal consequences, as the investigations identified numerous oversights and inaccurate calculations by the two pilots as direct causes of the crash.

Lengthy legal processing

The first investigation in France was closed in 2017 because the judiciary attributed the crash to pilot error. However, an appeals court reopened the investigation in 2019 after a victims' association submitted a report in 2007 that also criticized the French aviation regulator. The French state was also ordered to pay the victims' association 10,000 euros in damages due to delays in the proceedings.

A 2009 report found that the pilot suffered from strenuous working conditions in the two weeks before the accident, with short rest periods, resulting in fatigue. The exhaustion of the crew could therefore be another factor in the tragic accident.

The role of the BFU

In the context of aviation accidents, there are also institutions that deal with the processing and documentation of such tragedies. The Federal Office for Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) regularly publishes reports on accidents and serious incidents in aviation. These reports are very important in preventing future incidents and helping to learn from past mistakes.

The ongoing trial against the ex-head of Flash Airlines makes it clear that even more than two decades after the Boeing 737 crash, the circumstances and decisions that lead to such tragic accidents continue to be prosecuted. The victims' families hope that legal action will ultimately lead to clarification and justice.