AIRLINES PLEAD GUILTY FOR THEIR ROLE IN WORLDWIDE CONSPIRACY TO FIX AIR CARGO PRICES
On April 9, 2009, Cargolux Airlines International, Nippon Cargo Airlines, and Asiana Airlines, pled guilty and agreed to pay criminal fines totaling $214 million for their role in worldwide conspiracy to fix to fix prices in the air cargo industry.
The three airlines took part in the conspiracy between 2000 and 2006. Cargolux Airlines agreed to pay $119 million; Nippon Cargo Airlines agreed to pay $45 million; and Asiana Airlines agreed to pay $50 million.
As a part of this same investigation, 15 other airlines, including British Airways Plc, Korean Airlines Ltd, Qantas Airways Limited, Japan Airlines International Co. Ltd., Martinair Holland N.V., Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, SAS Cargo Group A/S, Société Air France and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines), LAN Cargo S.A., Aerolinhas Brasileiras S.A., and EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd., and three former executives have been charged in the Department of Justice’s ongoing investigation in the air cargo industry. More than $1.6 billion in criminal fines have been imposed and all three executives have been sentenced to serve prison time.
Andre Barlow
(202) 589-1834
abarlow@dbmlawgroup.com
