EU re-imposes US$835 million cartel fine on air cargo firms

BRUSSELS The European Union has reimposed fines totalling US$835 million on 11 air cargo companies, including Air Canada, even though the EU’s high court threw out the original case in 2015 on a procedural issue.

The European Commission said Friday it has fixed the original error and re-established the fines because the antitrust case, as such, hadn’t been addressed by the EU’s General Court.

The Commission alleges that the companies colluded to fix the level of fuel and security surcharges between 1999 and 2006.

“Air Canada maintains that it has at all times respected all applicable laws with regard to competition. We intend to vigorously contest the European Commission’s recent decision,” spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said in an emailed statement.

It faces a fine of about US$22.6 million.

The biggest fines announced by the EU on Friday were US$197 million levied on Air France and US$137 million on its strategic partner KLM.