Three more fined for cargo fixing

ONGOING investigations into cargo price fixing in the US have forced three more carriers to plead guilty.

Cargolux (Luxembourg), Nippon Cargo (Japan) and Asiana (South Korea) have agreed to cooperate with the US Justice Department and will therefore be given reduced fines totalling US$214 million.

Cargolux is charged with fixing cargo rates between 2001 and 2005, and Asiana and Nippon between 2000 and 2006.

Following Chile’s LAN Cargo and Israel’s El Al Airlines guilty plea and fines of $124.7 million in January, this brings the total of guilty airlines to 15 that have paid $1.6 billion of fines. The nine other airlines are: Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Air Lines, Martinair, Qantas and SAS Cargo.