The agreement, confirmed by the federal court in the Eastern District of New York, produces a recovery of $183 million for the plaintiffs and marks the third settlement agreement in the lawsuit. In his court order, Judge John Gleeson said the agreement was "fair, reasonable and adequate" to the class.
Under the agreement, British Airways will pay $89 million, Chilean carrier Lan will pay $66 million and Dubai's Emirates Airline will pay $7.8 million.
A spokeswoman for British Airways was not immediately available for comment.
In 2006, more than 90 civil lawsuits were filed against more than two dozen airlines accusing them of conspiring to raise air-cargo freight rates. In all, 42 airlines have been named in the suits.
The civil complaints originated from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into a number of airlines suspected of violating antitrust rules with the air-transportation industry. (Reuters)
