The return of the seaplane to Ibiza is taking steps without being a reality. On Tuesday there were tests in the port of Palma and on Wednesday, in the port of Ibiza. The result of the same invites caution due to the effects of the easterly winds in the area authorized by Capitanía Marítima for the landing and take-off of the hydrofoils.
The expedition has not served for the company to reveal who is behind the project. The singer voice has been the delegate in the Balearic Islands, Antoni Jiménez. La Voz de Ibiza requested an unsuccessful interview with the company’s CEO and managing director, Sergio Núñez-Cacho Solans, and one of the minority partners,
Klaus Dieter Martin. Both were present at Wednesday’s tests, unlike the majority shareholder.
The precedent of Croatia
Klaus Dieter Martin is behind European Sea Plane Service GMBH, a German company incorporated in 2018 and a director of Isla Air Express, SL. This is not, however, the first time that Dieter Martin is behind the implementation of regular lines with seaplanes. It is not for nothing that he was the owner of a company that promoted a failed project in Croatia. After two years of operation (and numerous complaints from users), his seaplanes were disabled for safety reasons. Klaus Dieter Martin is behind European Coastal Airlines, the Croatian company that promised to link the Balkan coast with Italy and other destinations and that had a sad end. According to what Isla Air Express told La Voz de Ibiza, Dieter Martin is a minority partner of the company. The company avoided making statements on the matter, as well as to specify who is its main shareholder. Specifically, European Coastal Airlines operated between 2014 and 2016. Its main terminal was in the port of Split, the second city of the Balkan country. In addition to connecting Croatian ports, it also opened a route between Split and Ancona and Pescara, Italy. The fleet that can be seen on the official Isla Air Express website is the same fleet that operated on the Balkan stuff eight years ago.
Abrupt end in the midst of expansion
The company was expanding, but its flights came to an abrupt end. In August 2016, the Croatian portal Index published an investigation in which it spoke of “dangerous omissions” in the maintenance of seaplanes, and warned that, if no action was taken, it was only a matter of time before accidents and fatalities occurred.
“If the inspectorate or the Civil Aviation Agency doesn’t stop them, the accident is only a matter of days. And the public simply needs to know,” an ex-pilot told the media outlet. The publication denounced: “Maintenance procedures that should be routine are carried out carelessly and only enough to satisfy form, some of the vital parts of the seaplane are neglected to such an extent that they weaken and crack due to corrosion and the influence of the sea. As a result, more and more breakdowns occur and spare parts are improvised, which is completely illegal and extremely dangerous.” He also pointed out that these were “outdated” seaplanes.
By then, numerous complaints were already accumulating in forums from travelers who had their flights cancelled on the hour and to whom no satisfactory answers had been given.
The decline of the seaplane project in Croatia
Following this, the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency withdrew their permission to operate for safety reasons. This resulted in the suspension of operations and the loss of 130 jobs. “The grounding was not justified, international regulations were not followed,” Dieter Martin said in an interview with Total Croatia in October 2016. At the time, he was betting on returning to operations the following year and had ambitious plans to expand the business to other countries, such as Greece and Montenegro.
