Emirates airline fined $10 mn by Australia's Federal Court over price-fixing
13 Oct 2012
UAE airline Emirates has been fined $10 million by Australia's Federal Court for being part of a global air-freight price-fixing cartel, the tenth airline to come under the scanner of the Australian regulator.
''This settlement with Emirates brings the total penalties ordered in Australia against international airlines involved in the cartel to $68 million," said Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The Federal Court in Sydney yesterday ordered the Dubai-based airline to pay $10 million in penalties for fixing fuel and other surcharges.
Emirates was fined $7 million for fixing fuel prices, a security surcharge and a customs fee on air freight carried from Indonesia to Australia and other countries between October 2001 and May 2006 and an additional $3 million for fixing rates with DAS Air Cargo for the supply of air freight from Australia.
The Federal Court asked Airline Emirates to also pay $500,000 to the ACCC as costs.
So far, 10 carriers have settled cases brought against them by the ACCC.