Europe threatens Air France-KLM over cargo transit collusion

Air France-KLM is one of several airlines that may be facing a massive fine from Brussels. The Dutch-French airline is accused of cartel forming in the cargo transit market, ANP reports.

Insiders told the news wire that attempts to negotiate a settlement failed. Which means that fines amounting to millions of euros may be imposed on the involved airlines.

The authorities suspect 11 airlines for making secret agreements between 1999 and 2006 on how they would deal with fuel and security surcharges and how to ensure that no discounts were granted.

This is not the first time that air cargo carriers are facing penalties for collusion. In 2010 Air France-KLM was fined 310 million euros on the same charge. The fine was eventually annulled by the Court of the European Union.

Other airlines also had their previous fines brushed aside. The fines amounted to some 800 million euros in total.