Air France-KLM Group, Europe’s biggest airline company, agreed to pay a total of $87 million to hundreds of freight shippers to settle class-action lawsuits in the U.S. over its involvement in a global price-fixing cartel.

The deal, which must be approved by a judge in New York, will resolve claims by companies that purchased shipping services to and from the U.S. from Air France, KLM and its Martinair unit between 2000 and 2006, the carriers said today in a statement. Indirect buyers who used an intermediary to ship their goods are barred from such claims in the U.S.

“This is an important settlement,” Michael Hausfeld, a lawyer for the freight shippers, said in a statement today. “We now look forward to seeking appropriate redress for the indirect shippers, who also suffered substantial unlawful overcharges as a result of the cartel.”

Air France is among dozens of carriers that have been investigated by antitrust regulators worldwide since 2006, when the U.S. and the European Union started probing the industry. The investigation expanded to South Korea, Canada and Australia, leading to settlements, fines and plea deals by airlines and executives.