Air India latest to be fingered in cartel probe

India's beleaguered national carrier Air India is now facing a US Department of Justice anti-trust investigation as the latest carrier to be implicated in the global price-fixing scandal on fuel surcharges.

The US DOJ has been conducting an on-going investigation into price-fixing in the air cargo industry and so far, a total of 20 International Airlines and 17 executives have been charged with more than US$ 1.7 billion obtained in fines. Four executives have also been sentenced to prison time, with charges pending against the remaining 13 executives.