The trial of the Sharm El-Sheikh plane disaster begins in France 23 years after the accident
Quick Look
The trial of Mohamed Nour, the former president of Flash Airlines, will begin in Paris on April 26, 2025, on charges of manslaughter following the 2004 Sharm El-Sheikh plane crash, which killed 148 people, including 135 French nationals, after the investigation was reopened at the request of the victims’ families.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A Flash Airlines plane crashed into the Red Sea three minutes after take-off from Sharm El-Sheikh on January 3, 2004, killing 148 people, including 135 French nationals and 13 crew members.
The trial of the Sharm El Sheikh plane crash disaster in Egypt will begin before the French judiciary on April 26, according to what a judicial source said on Tuesday, 23 years after the accident that killed 148 people, including 135 French nationals, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Mohamed Nour, the 72-year-old Egyptian and former chairman of the board of directors of the low-cost airline Flash Airlines, which was later liquidated, was referred in March 2025 to the Paris Misdemeanor Court on charges of manslaughter.
His trial is scheduled to be held between April 26 and June 11, 2027, before the department responsible for mass accidents and public health.
According to the referral decision issued by the investigating judges, which was seen by Agence France-Presse, Nour will be tried in particular on suspicion that, in his capacity as president of Flash Airlines, he “created or contributed to the creation” of the circumstances that allowed the accident to occur, and/or did not take the necessary measures to avoid it.
On January 3, 2004, a Flash Airlines plane crashed into the Red Sea three minutes after taking off from the coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh, killing its 135 French passengers and 13 crew members, in one of the bloodiest aviation disasters in which French people were killed.
After a decision to dismiss the case in 2017, the Paris Court of Appeal in 2019, at the request of the victims’ families, ordered the resumption of the investigation by judges specialized in mass incidents, considering that the attempts made during the investigation to obtain statements from the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Flash Airlines were “insufficient.”
Nour was officially charged with manslaughter in mid-December 2021.
The investigating judges blame him for deficiencies in training the pilots, granting the pilot the status of captain at excessive speed, and failing to ensure that the pilots receive sufficient rest periods between flights.
The Egyptian businessman faces a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of 450,000 euros.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Paris Misdemeanor Court will issue a ruling in Mohamed Nour's case by June 2027
Very likely · Within months
French families of victims may seek additional civil damages regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will broader regulatory responsibilities be recognized by the airline or Egyptian regulators?
- What guarantees can the trial provide to the French families of the victims regarding compensation or official recognition?
- Will this trial affect the safety standards of low-cost airlines in Egypt or the region?
