A court in Slovenia has temporarily blocked easyJet's planned acquisition of maintenance provider Adria Tehnika, preventing Czech investment firm Hartenberg Holding from selling or encumbering its stake until a legal dispute is resolved.

Although Slovenia’s competition authority (Javna agencija Republike Slovenije za varstvo konkurence) on February 2 announced it had approved the deal, a minority shareholder reportedly challenged how Hartenberg had gained full ownership of the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company.

Kranj District Court has now issued a temporary injunction blocking any transfer of ownership to easyJet pending the outcome of the case, the Slovenian daily Dnevnik and the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported.

Hartenberg had initially held a 72% stake in Adria Tehnika via Avia Prime Group and later exercised a call option, tied to a EUR3 million euro (USD3.5 million) loan, to take 100% control when refinancing was not secured. The minority shareholder claims the arrangement was meant to be temporary and has asked the court to annul the transaction.

In a statement on social media, minority shareholder Piotr Kaczor – who is also the CEO of Avia Prime Group and Linetech Aircraft Maintenance and deputy chairman of Adria Tehnika – confirmed he had initiated legal proceedings in February to stop the sale of Adria Tehnika.

He claimed Hartenberg used a "loan-to-own" strategy, restricting access to external financing and issuing loans secured by call options, to take control of companies below market value. According to him, this led to Hartenberg’s takeover of Adria Tehnika and the loss of half his shares in Avia Prime Group, causing losses of tens of millions of euros and dismantling the group’s position in the MRO industry.

Asked to comment, Hartenberg Holding said it strongly disagreed with the District Court's interim measure decision and had already filed an appeal. In a statement to ch-aviation, co-owner Jozef Janov said Hartenberg acquired Adria Tehnik as part of the separation of Avia Prime’s assets in 2024, while Kaczor took ownership of Linetech. He said Linetech owed more than EUR3 million to Avia Prime and went bankrupt under Kaczor's ownership. The claimant was only a minority shareholder, and his concerns should be addressed through corporate governance channels, Janov added. A similar request by Kaczor was recently rejected by the Municipal Court in Prague, he said.

"All corporate approvals required for the transaction were duly obtained from the relevant bodies of Avia Prime, and all applicable regulatory approvals have also been secured. The transaction was conducted in full compliance with the applicable legal and corporate procedures," the company stated.

easyJet declined to comment. The low-cost carrier had announced the purchase agreement three months ago as part of its strategy to bring more maintenance capabilities in-house.