Seaplane operator European Coastal Airlines (Split) (ECA) has confirmed that it intends to sue the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA), which last year suspended the start-up carrier's Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).
After becoming engaged in legal proceedings, ECA made the decision in October 2016 to suspend all operations for the rest of the year, blaming Croatia’s regulatory environment. Plans to relaunch in 2017 did not materialise, and in April ECA filed for pre-bankruptcy.
"We will be taking the CCAA to court," Managing Director Klaus-Dieter Martin told ch-aviation. "The lawsuit will be over the entire lost investment. The CCAA has already in the past lost some court cases for wrongdoing on inspections and audits."
Some of ECA's routes connected Mali Losinj, Split and Dubrovnik on Croatia's coast with each other, and with Trieste, Ancona and Pescara in Italy.
