XTRA Airways sued over termination

A man is suing Florida-based XTRA Airways Inc. for allegedly terminating him without cause after only a few months since hiring him as manager for the airline’s Asian operations in 2017.

Thomas L. Nolte, through counsel Colin M. Thompson, is suing XTRA Airways and five unnamed co-defendants for breach of contracts and fraud.

Nolte wants the U.S. District Court for the NMI to hold XTRA Airways liable for lost wages, damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

XTRA Airways’ flights from China to Saipan were cancelled starting Nov. 10, 2017, three months after it opened flights from Nanjing to Saipan.

Nolte, at that time XTRA Airways’ Pacific Operations manager, told Saipan Tribune that their China service is being suspended indefinitely due to certain contractual issues with their Chinese client, Dream Pacific Aviation Services HK Ltd.

XTRA Airways entered the airline market in China and Saipan in early 2017. At that time, Nolte was living and working in Colorado.

According to Thompson in the complaint filed last Monday, after a couple of phone interviews with XTRA Airways vice president for international markets Brian Dagot and other XTRA Airways executives, Nolte was invited to the company headquarters in Coral Gables, Florida to meet with the company’s chief operating officer and the chief executive officer.

After meeting with the principals of XTRA Airways in Florida on April 26, 2017, Nolte was told that they wanted him to manage the airline’s Asian operations from the Saipan office.

Thompson said XTRA Airways offered Nolte the job as manager of Asia Pacific on May 23, 2017, for $80,000 a year. Three days later, Nolte accepted the offer and agreed to relocate to Saipan, which he did on June 9, 2017.

Thompson said that, last Dec. 1, XTRA Airways notified Nolte that he would be removed from his position effective Nov. 27, 2017.

Thompson said XTRA Airways breached the offer of employment by terminating Nolte’s contract without excuse of justification with less than a year.

Thompson said XTRA Airways made false statements to Nolte about its ability to operate flights between the CNMI and China.

“XTRA Airways could not legally operate flights between China and the CNMI at the time Mr. Nolte first arrived [on] Saipan,” the lawyer said.