Major airlines charged in NZ price-fixing case
Thirteen major airlines, including several Asian national carriers, have been charged with price-fixing in New Zealand, Bloomberg has reported.
The airlines “colluded to raise the price of freighting cargo by imposing fuel surcharges for more than seven years,” the Wellington-based Commerce Commission was reported saying in an e-mailed statement.
Regulators worldwide including the US Department of Justice and the European Commission have investigated airlines for fixing cargo fuel surcharges. Earlier this month Qantas, which is among the airlines charged in the New Zealand case, was ordered to pay AU$20 million (US$13 million) in penalties for price-fixing by the Federal Court in Sydney.
Another of the accused carriers, Air New Zealand, has it will defend the proceedings.
“Despite extensive reviews of1 our own files and interviews with key staff, Air New Zealand has not been able to identify any evidence of price-fixing or cartel behaviour,” Bloomberg reported an airline statement to the stock exchange as saying.
Co-accused Cathay Pacific Airways said it was “deeply disappointed” by the move and will “vigorously defend all allegations,” Bloomberg reported. Singapore Airlines has also vowed to defend itself.
The other carriers named were British Airways, Cargolux International Airlines, Emirates Airline, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines International., Malaysian Airlines, Korean Air Lines, and Thai Airways.
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