Another multimillion-dollar settlement was reached in the long-running antitrust class action lawsuit in the U.S. that has involved most of the world’s major carriers, with Air China agreeing to pay $50 million.
Shippers seeking damages from cargo airlines accused of price-fixing have been granted class-action status, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to seek damages against the airlines.
Rising revenue at Air China in the first half was not enough to lift cargo yield into positive territory, and the mainland carrier struggled against stiff competition and a weakening RMB-U.S. dollar exchange rate.
The collapse of tourism and business travel since the start of the dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku islets in September is creating freight opportunities for some carriers due to the dearth of direct cargo capacity.