British Airways PLC was fined 300 million dollars on Thursday after it pleaded guilty to a price-fixing conspiracy on international flights.

In an agreement with the U.S. authority, the British airline admitted that it colluding with rivals over the surcharge between mid-2004 and early 2006 to help ease the impact of sharp rises in oil prices.

The U.S. prosecutors said the airline could have faced fines closer to 900 million dollars if it would not cooperate in the case.

In a separate agreement with the British government earlier this month, British Airways also pleaded guilty and agreed to a 247 million dollar fine.