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A Paris court on Wednesday (May 12) ruled that Air France and Airbus should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter over their role in a 2009 crash.

228 people were killed when flight AF447 - operated by an Airbus jet - plunged into the Atlantic.

The ruling reverses a 2019 decision not to prosecute either company over the accident.

Victims' families welcomed the new ruling, but Airbus and Air France said they would seek to overturn it at France's highest appeal court.

In an emailed statement, Airbus said:

"The court decision that has just been announced does not reflect in any way the conclusions of the investigation."

An Air France spokesman said the carrier "maintains that it committed no criminal fault at the root of this tragic accident."

Air France flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed on June 1, 2009, killing everyone on board.

French investigators found that the crew had mishandled a situation arising from the loss of speed data from sensors blocked with ice, and caused the plane to stall by holding its nose too high.

The earlier decision not to go to trial drew legal challenges from the families, as well as pilot unions and prosecutors who had pursued charges against Air France alone.

Wednesday's ruling upheld new demands for a trial of both companies from senior prosecutors.

They have accused Air France of pilot training failures and Airbus of underestimating dangers posed by known problems with the aircraft's speed sensors.