CONTINENTAL AIRLINES IS TO APPEAL against the verdict of a French court that found it responsible for the Concorde crash that killed 113 people a decade ago.
The court ruled Continental and one of its mechanics were guilty of involuntary manslaughter. But the airline described the ruling as "absurd" and said it would appeal.
A lawyer representing Continental, François Esclatine, said: "I do not understand how my client could be considered to have sole responsibility for the Concorde crash."
The court in the French town of Pontoise imposed a 1200,000 fine on the US carrier and a 15-month suspended prison sentence on the mechanic. It ruled Continental was criminally responsible for the crash, which happened at Charles de Gaulle airport.
A metal strip that fell from a Continental aircraft on to the runway was to blame for a tyre-burst suffered by the Air France supersonic jet minutes before it crashed into a field.