China’s Meiya Air Sues De Havilland Over Twin Otter Deal
Meiya Air, a regional operator based in Sanya, China, has filed a lawsuit against De Havilland Aircraft of Canada and Viking Air over undelivered Twin Otter DHC-6-400 aircraft. The lawsuit, filed on April 7, 2025, in Vancouver’s Supreme Court, aims to recover USD 2.135 million in deposits, plus damages for breach of contract and delays.
The legal dispute dates back to 2012, when Meiya Air signed an agreement with Viking Air to acquire three Twin Otters, with options for more. The agreement required deposits of USD 610,000 per confirmed aircraft and USD 305,000 per optioned unit. At the time, Meiya was preparing to launch amphibious operations from Sanya, pending certification of the DHC-6-400 by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Despite CAAC certification being granted in late 2014 and a final sale agreement signed in June of that year, the aircraft were never delivered. Meiya Air later followed up in 2019, but received no formal response from Viking Air. By then, the airline had shifted to operating smaller aircraft, including Cessna Caravans and 172S amphibians.
In 2024, Meiya representatives traveled to Canada and learned that their deposits were no longer under Viking’s control. Viking had since merged into De Havilland. The defendants reportedly acknowledged liability during this meeting, prompting legal action.
De Havilland has confirmed awareness of the case but declined further comment, citing the ongoing legal process in British Columbia. The case underscores long-standing delivery and certification hurdles in cross-border aircraft transactions.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com