British Airways, Air Canada and nine other airlines have had fines of almost $800 million overturned by the General Court of the European Union – Europe’s second highest court.
In 2010, the 11 airlines were found guilty of conspiring on the prices they charged in regards to its fuel and security charges for the transport of cargo between December 1999 and February 2006.
British Airways received a fine of €104 million, Air France €183 million, KLM €127 million, SAS €70 million, Singapore Airlines €75 million and Cathay Pacific €57 million.
Among the other airlines fined were: Air Canada, Cargolux, Japan Airlines and Qantas.
The court found the EU's original decision was contradictory because it considered four distinct cartel infringements but based its decision on one continuous period of wrongdoing.
"Although the grounds of the contested decision describe a single and continuous infringement in relation to all of the routes covered by the cartel, they nevertheless contain significant internal inconsistencies," the judges said.
Lufthansa also took part in the cartel, but received immunity after it acted as whistleblower to the EC on the covert deals.
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