Airline spokesman Peter Sherrard also said the case had been 'settled satisfactorily,' and that Ryanair had offered to double-up by giving another 60,000 euros to a charity of Mr Sarkozy's choice. -- PHOTO: AFP

Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni filed separate lawsuits that were heard together in a court session in Paris, seeking damages for the carrier's use of the image for commercial purposes without permission.

Ms Bruni, a former model turned singer, was awarded 60,000 euros - less than the 500,000 euros she had sought.

Mr Sarkozy asked for a symbolic one euro, which the court granted.

Mr Thierry Herzog, a lawyer for the couple, said Bruni had decided to donate the court award to Restos du Coeur - a network of charity soup kitchens well-known in France. Speaking to reporters, Mr Herzog called the ruling 'satisfactory' and noted 'the effect of buzz,' which carried word of the newspaper ad into cyberspace.

Airline spokesman Peter Sherrard also said the case had been 'settled satisfactorily,' and that Ryanair had offered to double-up by giving another 60,000 euros to a charity of Mr Sarkozy's choice '(i)n light of the extraordinary worldwide publicity generated by this single advert.

The advertisement, which appeared in Le Parisien newspaper on Jan 28, shows Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni gazing skyward, with a think bubble over Ms Bruni's head reading, 'With Ryanair, my whole family will be able to attend my wedding.'

Ryanair said late last month that it had sent a written apology to the president with a promise not to publish the ad again and an offer to donate 5,000 euros to his favourite charity. It made a similar offer to Ms Bruni - a symbolic euro, and 5,000 euros to charity - but rejected her claim for 500,000 euros as 'totally unjustified.'

Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni were married on Saturday. -- AP