A former Air France flight attendant has won a landmark legal case in France after a court recognized her breast cancer as an occupational disease, potentially opening the door for similar claims from other aviation workers.
Sophie Lainault worked for Air France from 1989 to 2019, including as a purser on long-haul flights. During her career, she accumulated more than 12,600 flight hours, including over 6,500 hours at night.
A court in Bayonne ruled in July that her cancer had an occupational origin, citing factors including extensive night work, exposure to ionising radiation and secondhand smoke. Smoking was permitted on Air France flights until 2000.
Lainault spent two and a half years seeking recognition after two regional committees previously found no established link between her illness and work. Now in remission, she hopes the ruling will encourage other women to pursue similar claims.
Her lawyer described the decision as a legal precedent. The ruling is final, with no appeal filed. Air France said it was not involved in the proceedings and had not been informed of the court’s reasoning.