ADI Aerodynamics (Pontiac Oakland County International) has been awarded a certificate of public convenience and necessity by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) thereby allowing it to operate interstate scheduled flights ferrying persons, property, and mail using small aircraft.
The announcement follows a near 18-month long application process that culminated in the removal of former CEO and shareholder Scott Beale and the sale of the company to John and Janet Beardsley of SeaPort Airlines (2008) (Portland International) fame.
In the application's early stages, a DOT investigation revealed a court case in which Beale had been found guilty of defrauding one James Paquette. As neither management nor Beale had informed the DOT of the case as prescribed by law, the Department threatened to revoke ADI's licences on the grounds of managerial incompetence.
To placate the DOT, Beale subsequently divested himself of all positions and shareholdings in ADI and its affiliated companies to ADI Acquisition Co. LLC., an Oregon-based limited liability company owned equally by the Beardsleys.
However, later on down the line, ADI's application was blocked again after ViaAir (Orlando International) and James Paquette claimed the carrier to be financially unfit after it failed to make monthly instalments on a USD400,000 promissory note owed to Paquette.
The issue was eventually settled in January with ADI agreeing to pay off the full amount, with interest and penalties claimed, as well as legal fees and costs.
As it stands, ADI now hopes to begin scheduled passenger flights between Youngstown/Warren and Chicago O'Hare using its E145 fleet this April.
