A China Airlines spokesman said Friday the Taiwanese carrier will not appeal a Japanese court ruling that ordered the airline to pay some 5 billion yen in compensation over a plane crash at Nagoya airport in 1994.
The carrier will respect the ruling and hopes to settle the matter with the relatives of those killed in the crash as quickly as possible, the official said.
In light of the decision, Isomi Suzuki, a member of the legal team representing the plaintiffs, said most of his clients would withdraw a pre-emptive appeal filed the previous day because they want to conclude the case.
The Nagoya District Court ruled in favor of the 236 Japanese and Taiwanese plaintiffs, comprising a few survivors and relatives of the fatalities, by ordering the airline to pay compensation to most of them. Four siblings of the victims were ruled ineligible for compensation.
Flight 140 from Taipei to Nagoya crashed April 26, 1994, killing 264 of the 271 passengers and crew aboard.
Friday's statement comes a day after the 236 plaintiffs filed an appeal with the Nagoya High Court in an effort to discourage China Airlines from seeking to overturn the district court decision.