PlaneStation Pilsen, which leases the former military site of the Líně airport, must pay CZK 44.6 million in outstanding rent plus interest to the Ministry of Defence. The Plzeň-North District Court ruled on the matter today, reported news server iDNES.cz and Czech Television (ČT). Petr Kutný, the managing director of PlaneStation Pilsen, said the company would appeal the verdict. The dispute has dragged on for ten years. At the beginning of September, the court also ruled in a non-final decision that the company must vacate all land and buildings at the airport. Volkswagen is considering building a CZK 120 billion electric car battery factory on the site. The state, which supports the so-called gigafactory, wants to build a strategic business park there.
The dispute between the army and PlaneStation Pilsen over the rent started at the District Court of Pilsen-North in October 2013. However, PlaneStation claims that the airport lease agreement was invalid from the beginning. According to the server, the company argued that it was misled from the beginning because the runway is shorter and thus does not meet the conditions for international operations, which the army allegedly guaranteed in the contract.
News server Novinky.cz, which highlighted the case, wrote that the company has been using the site since 2000 under a 50-year contract with the ministry. However, it stopped paying the rent in 2010. The Ministry of Defence filed three lawsuits against PlaneStation: it sought payment of the rent debt, evacuation of the premises and the release of unjust enrichment, as the company continues to use the airport after the termination of the contract and collects money from third parties for partial leases.
Václav Cihla, a legal representative of the Ministry of Defence, estimated the total debt of PlaneStation Pilsen to the state at CZK 250 million, iDNES.cz reported.
Source: CTK
Photo: cs.wikipedia.org
