VERSAILLES, France — In a surprise ruling in one of the highest-profile disasters in ­aviation history, a French ­appeals court overturned manslaughter convictions Thursday against Continental Airlines and a mechanic in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people.

The crash hastened the end for the already-faltering supersonic Concorde, synonymous with high-tech luxury but a commercial failure. The program, jointly operated by Air France and British Airways, was taken out of service in 2003.