EC competition watchdog Joaquin Almunia, branded the cartel 'deplorable' and said the fines - which amount to nearly £690m for all 11 airlines involved - showed that the Commission would 'not tolerate cartel behaviour'.The former flag carrier has now been hit with £367m in fines in just three years, following an earlier scandal when it admitted to fixing fuel surcharges with transatlantic rival Virgin Atlantic.
This latest penalty exceeds expectations of a £70m bill for its anti-competitive behaviour.
But the airline said it has already set aside £350m to cover fines relating to both cases in its 2006-07 report, meaning the charge will not affect chief executive Willie Walsh's pledge to break even this year, after a record £531m annual loss.
And BA still hopes to shave a £121.5m fine from the Office of Fair Trading off its mountain of penalties, after a civil case over the collusion with Virgin collapsed
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