A French Court of Appeals cleared Air France today of any direct or indirect responsibility for the Entebbe hijacking of June-July 1976 and decided that the French air carrier is not liable to pay damages to the passenger victims. The court’s ruling came in reply to a request by an Israeli couple, Joseph and Lisette Hoddad, for compensation. The two Israelis were on the plane when it was hijacked to Uganda by terrorists.
The three-man court said “Air France has no police responsibility and no right to check passengers at a foreign airport. The company cannot exclude passengers from boarding the plane on the basis of their physical appearance. It is thus unable to take all necessary measures to prevent such an incident from occurring.”
Legal experts noted that, had the court found in favor of the plaintiffs, it would have created a serious precedent which might have influenced the interpretation of the “Warsaw Convention,” which prescribes the responsibilities of air carriers.
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