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The British Airways-Virgin Atlantic price-fixing scandal went right to the top of Virgin as well, it has emerged.
Steve Ridgway, the chief executive of Virgin Atlantic and a long-time lieutenant of billionaire Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, has admitted he knew about the collusion with BA to set fuel surcharges but did nothing about it.
After being named in a court hearing in which four BA executives are charged with “cartel offences”, Ridgway issued a statement.
“I apologise unreservedly for my involvement in this case,” he said. “Although I did not have any direct contact with BA in relation to passenger fuel surcharges I regret that, on becoming aware of the discussions, I did not take steps to stop them.” Ridgway is to avoid charges in the case brought by the Office of Fair Trading as Virgin turned Queen's evidence in the case, eventually blowing the whistle on BA.
The affair has already cost BA fines totalling £270 million from UK and US regulators.
The admission of Ridgway's collusion comes as the BA four were sent for trial next January. They are Walsh's former number two, ex-commercial director Martin George, head of sales and marketing Andrew Crawley, ex-UK sales head Alan Burnett and former communications chief Iain Burns.
They are alleged to have “dishonestly agreed” with Virgin officials to “implement arrangements” which fixed the price of flights between 2004 and 2006.
Steve Ridgway, the chief executive of Virgin Atlantic and a long-time lieutenant of billionaire Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, has admitted he knew about the collusion with BA to set fuel surcharges but did nothing about it.
After being named in a court hearing in which four BA executives are charged with “cartel offences”, Ridgway issued a statement.
“I apologise unreservedly for my involvement in this case,” he said.
“Although I did not have any direct contact with BA in relation to passenger fuel surcharges I regret that, on becoming aware of the discussions, I did not take steps to stop them.”
Ridgway is to avoid charges in the case brought by the Office of Fair Trading as Virgin turned Queesn's evidence in the case eventually blowing the whistle on BA.
The affair has already cost BA fines totalling £270 million from UK and US regulators.
The admission of Ridgway's collusion comes as the BA four were sent for trial scheduled for next January.
The BA four include some of the airline's most senior directors outside of Willie Walsh.
The four are Walsh's former number two, ex-commercial director Martin George, current head of sales and marketing Andrew Crawley, ex-UK sales head Alan Burnett and former communications chief Iain Burns.
They are alleged to have “dishonestly agreed” with Virgin officials to “implement arrangements” which fixed the price of flights between 2004 and 2006
The Virgin officials were named as Ridgwway, former commercial director William Boulter, and ex-communications chief Paul Moore who is now working for rail company FirstGroup.
