The US Department of Transportation (DOT) says it has revoked the interstate certificate issued to start-up California Pacific Airlines (San Diego McClellan Palomar) in 2011 on account of its dormancy.
The Department granted California Pacific permission to operate interstate scheduled air transportation of persons, property, and mail though the effectiveness of said authority was dependent on the airline secure operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as requisite liability insurance coverage.
However, on the back of numerous delays in obtaining its Air Carrier Certificate and Operation Specifications from the FAA, California Pacific requested, and was granted, several extensions from the DOT from the provisions of dormancy, the last of which was granted late last year.
But, the DOT says, California Pacific failed to make the deadline for its latest extension request resulting in the dormancy clause being enacted.
"This date has now passed and we have received no further extension request from CP Air nor have we received any information demonstrating the air carrier’s continued fitness or that would indicate that it has completed nearly all the steps necessary to commence operations," it said. "Under these circumstances and in accordance with section 204.7 of our rules, we have decided to revoke CP Air’s certificate authority. This action is without prejudice to the company’s filing for new certificate authority in the future."
In recent years, the FAA has justified Cal Pacific's slow path to certification claiming the carrier manifested "a number of deficiencies relating to safety, maintenance and inspections" during its last round of inspections in mid-2013.
Nonagenarian founder Ted Vallas had planned to operate an E170, N760CP (cn 17000006), on flights out of San Diego McClellan Palomar to Sacramento International, San José, US, Oakland International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas Harry Reid and San José Cabo. He has also contemplated acquiring an existing airline's certification to help expedite the launch of operations.
