The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warned executives of Qantas Airlines Ltd. of criminal liability for an alleged involvement in a price-fixing cartel along with 11 other air cargo companies fined by the European Commission.

ACCC chief Graeme Samuel said in an interview with ABC TV on Wednesday that Qantas executives risk up to 10 years in jail if they continue to engage in price-fixing practices in terms of cargo rates and other surcharges for either of its aviation and logistics businesses.

Samuel said that though Qantas does not seemed to mind the hefty fines, they must be concerned of going to jail and serving at least a 10-year sentence and tarnishing their reputation.

He noted that his was not the only time that Qantas was fined for such activities. In 2008, Qantas paid a fine of $20 million under a deal reached with the ACCC and this year will pay euros 8.9 million ($12.27 million), for its part in co-ordinating a cartel that covered flights within the European Economic Area.

"You'd have to be a really stupid executive to be involved in cartel activity after July last year," he said over ABC TV.

"What we've got here is, in a sense, a double problem that's occurred for the airlines involved.

"One is: they've had to pay significant penalties. The second is: serious reputational damage.

"The triple element of that now applies is that if you engage in this sort of activity, don't worry about reputations and don't worry about fines, you now face 10 years in jail," noted Mr. Samuel in a related report of the Sydney Morning Herald.