A French court this week sentenced the CEO of a now defunct Thai airline to four years in prison, but Udom Tantiprasongchai is unlikely to find himself behind bars.
The former CEO of budget airline One-Two-Go was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and also fined €75,000.
The sentencing came after the families of nine French victims aboard a flight which crashed in Phuket sued.
A total of 90 people lost their lives.
An international arrest warrant was issued a long time ago but he has never been detained and has never responded to the court summons.
The plane was carrying 130 passengers and crew when it skidded off the runway in rain and burst into flames.
One-Two-Go ceased operating after the crash.
The court found pilots’ ‘fatigue and stress’ were partly to blame for the accident
Plaintiffs claimed the airline tried covering up evidence of mistakes such as overworked pilots and fabricated flight log data.
Under French law a case can be brought in France no matter where it took place as long as it involved French citizens.
