The Sky's the limit?

摘要

In February 2006, a large number of air carriers in Europe, the US and Asia received unwelcome visits from the European Commission (EC), the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the South Korean Fair Trade Commission. The aim of the co-ordinated raids was to unearth evidence of suspected cartel behaviour in the air cargo industry. The investigation in the air cargo sector is an important reminder of the competition law framework that shipping lines will need to take into account from October 2008 when anti-trust immunity for liner shipping conferences in the EU is removed. Our aim in this article is not to scare the liner operators by implying that any form of co-operation between competitors will lead to dire consequences.