In France, a flight attendant's cancer has been recognized as an occupational disease for the first time
A court in France has for the first time recognized breast cancer as an occupational disease of an aviation industry worker. The ruling was made in the case of former Air France flight attendant Sophie Lenot, who spent more than 12,600 hours in the air over 30 years of work.
The decision was made by a court in Bayonne back in early July 2026, but it became publicly known on August 26. The 59-year-old Lenot is now in remission. She worked at Air France from 1989 to 2019—first as a flight attendant, and later as a senior flight attendant on long-haul flights.
During that time, Lenot spent more than 12,600 hours in flight, with over 6,500 hours occurring at night.
In considering the case, the court took into account several aspects of her work: regular night shifts, exposure to ionizing radiation during flights, and years of passive smoking. Smoking on board Air France aircraft was allowed until 2000.
In addition, the court noted that in this case no genetic factors or lifestyle characteristics were identified that could explain the disease.
However, the court's decision concerns a specific case and does not mean automatic recognition of breast cancer as an occupational disease for all aviation workers.
Lenot sought this status for about two and a half years with the support of the CFDT union. Before going to court, two regional commissions for the recognition of occupational diseases concluded that the link between her work and the disease had not been proven.
An additional difficulty was that breast cancer is not included in the French official lists of occupational diseases. In such cases, the worker must undergo a separate procedure and prove the occupational origin of the disease.
Lenot's lawyer, Elisabeth Leroux, stated that the decision could set a precedent for other flight crew members. The court decision has already entered into force—no appeal was filed.
The former flight attendant herself hopes that her case will help other women working in aviation to seek recognition of diseases as occupational. The status obtained will, in particular, allow her to retire early.
Air France was not a party to this lawsuit. The airline stated that it was not familiar with the reasoning of the court decision, and emphasized that the health and safety of employees are a priority for the carrier.
This is not the first case of breast cancer being recognized as an occupational disease in France overall. In 2023, a nurse who worked night shifts for 28 years and was exposed to radiation achieved a similar decision. However, for the French aviation industry, the decision in Lenot's case became the first such precedent.
Based on materials from: Euronews, TF1 Info, The Guardian
