Crash of the Caravelle Ajaccio-Nice: a commemoration under the sign of truth

Fifty-eight years after the crash of an Air France flight off the coast of Cap d’Antibes connecting Ajaccio to Nice, the commemoration of September 11, 1968 was held this Wednesday in Nice. Between prayer and emotions, families welcomed a decisive judicial advance, with the imminent organization of the salvage of the main pieces of the wreck.

It was through reflection and tradition that this annual day of remembrance began. Families of victims, relatives and officials first gathered in Sainte-Hélène Church in Nice for a religious mass mixing prayers and traditional Corsican songs.

The ceremony then continued on the Promenade des Anglais, at the level of the memorial stele erected opposite the Ferber tram stop. A striking ceremonial sequence, orchestrated in the presence of a large delegation from the island of Corsica, represented by Charles Voglimacci, deputy mayor of Ajaccio. Éric Ciotti, mayor of Nice, led the ceremony alongside representatives of civil, military and religious authorities. The absence of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, was meanwhile greatly lamented by the relatives of the deceased.

An anniversary under the sign of truth

This 58th commemoration took place in a particularly special atmosphere, tinged with a sense of imminent justice. Speaking, Éric Ciotti denounced “ an omertà that likely masks a state truth “, while paying tribute to the exemplary determination of the families of victims and their lawyers. “This year, there was perhaps even more emotion because we think, thanks to the work of the association, we are very close to discovering the truth. This truth contributes to the grieving process that has never been completed for the families. I hope it goes as quickly as possible.”

A support shared by Charles Voglimacci, deputy mayor of Ajaccio, for whom this wait has become unbearable, “the time is very, very long trying to reach an end. We cannot go back, but in the name of those who are gone and for the families, justice must go to the end.”

For the president of the victims’ association, Mathieu Paoli, who is calling for recognition of an accidental missile fire by the Navy during a frigate exercise, the challenge is clear, allowing the 49 remaining members of the association to finally grieve.

Six days of underwater recovery approved by the courts at 2,300 meters deep

Beyond the tribute, this gathering was an opportunity to take a very concrete look at the progress of the judicial investigation. After a meeting at the Élysée at the end of 2024 and a fixed framework with the Nice prosecutor’s office in June 2025, a targeted search campaign conducted at the end of 2025 at 2,300 meters deep off Cap d’Antibes brought unprecedented visual evidence. Received at the court on December 17, lawyers and Mathieu Paoli accompanied by his brother Louis Paoli were able to view underwater photographs revealing major elements of the fuselage, notably a reactor and part of the aircraft’s tail.

The decisive step taken in recent days set the framework for the next stage of the proceedings, during a meeting held on September 7 between the investigating judge, the Nice prosecutor and the lawyers of the civil parties, a six-day salvage operation was officially approved. Carried out by a private company in the presence of the judge aboard the vessel, this underwater mission will aim to extract these main components for expert examination to determine the real causes of the crash. While the exact date for the start of this operation remains to be fixed, hope for a truth that is close and absolute has never been stronger.