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Air France-KLM to Pay €368 Million After Losing Price-Fixing Appeal

A 20-year legal battle ends as Europe's top court rejects Air France-KLM's final appeal. How did a cargo cartel reshape airline regulations—and their future compliance?

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The image shows a graph on a white background with text that reads "eu imports and non-eu imports". The graph is composed of two lines, one in blue and one in red, that represent the number of EU imports. The blue line is steadily increasing, indicating a decrease in the amount of imports over time. The red line is slightly higher than the blue line, indicating an increase in imports.

Air France-KLM to Pay €368 Million After Losing Price-Fixing Appeal

Air France-KLM will pay €368 million in fines and interest next month. The payment ends a long-running legal battle over air cargo price-fixing. The case dates back to violations committed over two decades ago.

The European Commission first fined 13 cargo airlines in March 2017. Among them were Air France, KLM, and Martinair—all part of the Air France-KLM group. Ten other airlines, either independent or linked to the group, also faced penalties for cartel agreements in air freight.

The group challenged the decision but lost its final appeal in late February. The European Court of Justice upheld the original ruling, leaving Air France-KLM with no further legal options. The company had already reserved €366 million to cover the fines, with the total now reaching €368 million after interest.

The settlement closes a case that began with investigations into price-fixing more than 20 years ago. Air France-KLM has stated its commitment to following competition rules. The group is also reinforcing internal systems to prevent future violations.

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