Air New Zealand has settled for $US35 million in a civil compensation claim in the US related to allegations of air cargo price fixing.
Air New Zealand has settled a cargo fixing class action claim in the US for $US35m. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The class action claim was filed a decade ago against a number of airlines regarding fuel and security surcharges between 2000 and 2006.
Air New Zealand has always denied any wrongdoing, and after 10 years fighting the case, the national carrier's general counsel John Blair said the risks were reduced by settling.
"There was no credible evidence that any Air New Zealand employee participated in any conspiracy, but the potential for an unexpected verdict was not an acceptable commercial risk for the airline," he said.
The civil action comes after Air New Zealand successfully defended its position with the US Department of Justice and was released from its criminal investigation.
And in 2014, the Australian law firm Maurice Blackburn settled a claim over cargo prices, but Air New Zealand came away without paying anything.
