Comoros 2009 plane crash goes on trial in Paris

Thirteen years after a plane crashed off the Comoros Islands on June 30th 2009, the trial opens on Monday in Paris.

There were no survivors amongst the 152 passengers that were aboard the Yemenia flight.

"Thirteen years is a long time. Thirteen years is psychologically and morally exhausting, and even physically. There are several reasons why it has taken so long. There is the fact that the main parties involved in this case, including Yemen, Yemenia, the Comoros and even, to a lesser extent, France, did not really want to cooperate in the investigation that was underway", denounced Said Assoumani, head of the association of the families of the victims.

For the president of the association, it will be first and foremost the trial of so called "junk planes". 

"As far as we are concerned, it is necessary at all costs to find those responsible, the causes, and for everyone to assume their responsibilities... (...) to make these flights profitable, they used unlicensed pilots, who did not have the required training, nor the sufficient experience, and who could not perform the more or less complicated manoeuvres. That's the concept of the 'junk plane'", explained Assoumani.

The trial involves about 560 civil parties and about 1,000 beneficiaries.