(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-06 15:50

PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni have won a lawsuit against Irish airline Ryanair for an advertisement picturing the newly-wed couple, local press reported Tuesday.

France's first lady Carla Sarkozy (R) and President Nicolas Sarkozy sit at a cafe terrace in the gardens of the Versailles Chateau near Paris, February 3, 2008, the day after they were married at the Elysee Palace. [Agencies]

The court ordered Ryanair to pay 60,000 euros (US$88,974) to Sarkozy and Bruni who filed separate lawsuits against the budget airline for its use of their image for commercial purposes without permission.

According to Thierry Herzog, lawyer of the couple, Bruni plans to donate the court award to a charity in France.

Ryanair spokesman Peter Sherrard said the case had been "settled satisfactorily," adding that the airline had sent a written apology to Sarkozy.

The advertisement, carried in Le Parisien newspaper on January 28, pictured Sarkozy and Bruni gazing skyward, with a thought bubble over Bruni's head reading, "With Ryanair, my whole family will be able to attend my wedding."

Sarkozy and Bruni were married Saturday.