ACAAI's CCI case clears IATA

Though the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered that the nine-year-old case be closed, will the Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) remain quiet?

Will the Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) accept the decision of the nine-year-old case that had been going on at the Competition Commission of India (CCI)? The CCI recently put an end to the case that had been going on since December 2012 where the ACAAI had alleged that IATA was guilty of anti-competitive practices. Simply put, the cargo agents association pointed a finger at IATA for determining the rate of the agents’ commission highlighting that the rules of the agency’s Cargo Accounts Settlement Systems (CASS) were unfair.

CRUISING HEIGHTS has been reporting about the case since it was filed. In fact, the furore over CASS erupted during a trade show in Mumbai. The CCI ordered recently that “no case of contravention of the provisions of the Act is made out against any of the Opposite Parties and the matter is directed to be closed forthwith” after it found out that there had been no violation of competitive norms. The CCI also pointed out that ACAAI’s charges were about the accreditation of cargo agents and the introduction of IATA’s CASS in India.