There was no another specified company in Poland. Ecolot – based in Krosno, Podkarpacie – for almost 30 years functioned as the only serial maker of ultralight aircraft in the country. Founded in 1995 by Henryk Słowik, for years he gained designation not only in Poland but abroad, providing light aircraft to customers throughout Europe.
Today, its owner makes it clear that the company is out of business, and the reason is not the deficiency of customers or technological problems. The guilty, according to the entrepreneur, is the state strategy – offices that alternatively of supporting, block development.
Ecolot history
Ecolot was created in 1995 as a task with passion for aviation. The company's office are in Krosno, and production took place at a plant in Korczyn. From the beginning, she specialized in the plan and construction of ultralight aircraft – first of all, motoplanes, then full-fledged, light-duty diesel aircraft. The company gained global reputation thanks to models specified as KR-030 Topaz and JK-05L Junior – these machines were readily purchased by recreational pilots in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and another EU countries.
According to the manufacturer, the company delivered almost 300 aircraft in total. Importantly, Ecolot was not a large industrial player – it was a household company, with a squad of enthusiasts and specialists who for decades combined craft with technological precision. The company's turnover was not gigantic, but it provided stableness – it employed respective people and paid hundreds of thousands of zlotys all year in taxes and contributions to ZUS.
Start of end: Customs, certification and deficiency of state response
In March 2025 participants of the Polish Aviation Forum in Warsaw heard about the dramatic situation of Ecolot. It was then that Henry Nightingale's open letter was read to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in which he described the scenes of the slow collapse of the company. According to an account published by Interia, the entrepreneur is liable for the company's problems for 2 institutions: the civilian Aviation Authority (ULC) and the Customs and taxation Office in Przemyśl.
According to the Nightingale, it was these 2 offices with their actions – or their deficiency – that led the company to the edge. 1 of the main allegations is to hold certification of the fresh model of the Topaz 600 aircraft by ULC and the another – to impose 125 % anti-dumping duty for material imported from China, utilized for years to build aircraft.
Henryk Słowik explains that for 15 years he imported the same material from China – needed in the production of wings and hulls – without customs problems. This material cannot be purchased in the European Union, so there was no alternative. For many years the customs office recognized its classification without imposing peculiar charges. This changed abruptly – as the owner claims – by “the mistake of the laboratory worker” who changed the classification of the goods, thus being covered by the said duty.
My account was taken by the IRS, there was an execution of funds. I filed an appeal and I am waiting for it to be discussed – he spoke in a conversation with Interia.
Ecolot tried to save himself – he applied for a alleged processing procedure that would let customs to be avoided, as aircraft were to go beyond EU borders. But not only did the office disagree, but... he counted the work back in 2 or 3 years. For a tiny company – it was a sentence.
Certification that lasts forever
The second problem concerns the fresh aircraft model – Topaz 600. It is simply a device with an increased starting weight (600 kg), corresponding to the demands of European customers. The entrepreneur was convinced that the certification process would run quickly, as the plan was almost identical to the earlier Topaz 450 model, which obtained all the essential documents.
– I started production with orders. I thought before the planes were ready, I'd get the papers. But certification has been going on for respective months. Clients ask me why I can't registry a plane, and I don't have an answer. I besides have no money, due to the fact that nobody will pay for the product without a certificate – said Nightingale.
ULC rejects the allegations, claiming that the procedure has been going on since December 2023 and “is on completion”. It besides indicates that 1 of the structural parts did not pass the stress tests and had to be reinforced. Moreover, the duration of certification in Poland is shorter than in the Czech Republic, where a akin procedure lasted up to 7 years.
An open letter to Prime Minister Tusk
Henryk Słowik did not halt with attempts to contact offices. He took a strong step – an open letter to the Prime Minister. He wrote:
"You promised, Prime Minister, that no authoritative would always again bankrupt a Polish company. You have not kept your word.”
The Nightingale adds that there is no illusion that the Prime Minister will personally read his appeal. But he wants to show that the strategy does not work – that in Poland an authoritative can unpunishedly destruct an entrepreneur, despite declarations from politicians.
– I don't mean bad will, I don't blame people. I blame the system. He allows the office to conduct proceedings for months, while I cannot wait so long. I have employees, ZUS, taxes. I will endure 3 months without income, but not 12 – he spoke to Interia.
Responses of the offices: “We act in accordance with regulations”
The civilian Aviation Authority issued a message in consequence to the charges rejecting the charges. According to ULC spokesperson Marty Chylińska:
– The certification was conducted according to the regulations, the process is time-consuming but objective. The time depends on the results of the method tests and the completeness of the documentation submitted by the applicant.
The Rzeszów Chamber of taxation Administration spoke in a akin tone. In consequence to Interia's questions, she covered herself with a taxation secret and refused to comment on a peculiar entrepreneur.
On April 4, Ecolot yet received the desired certificate for Topaza 600. But as Henry Nightingale says, it's besides late. The company expired production, any of the employees were fired, the property was put on lease. The entrepreneur hopes that individual will take over any of the activities – but Ecolot, as a production company, ceases to exist.
The Ecolot case is more than just the drama of 1 company. This is simply a test for you. Is the strategy able to defend entrepreneurs or just control them? Do the authorities see the difference between the company and the local manufacturer? yet – do the Prime Minister's words about supporting Polish business have any effect on practice?
From the position of the Nightingale, the answer is clear: “The strategy does not work”. And for you – this is simply a silent alarm signal. due to the fact that erstwhile the only maker of ultralight aircraft in Poland closes, we all lose – as an economy, as taxpayers, as citizens.
We request economical patriotism and business solidarity
Ecolot's past is simply a informing signal. It's not just 1 company that, after years of operation, falls by authoritative decisions. This shows how much Poland is missing economic patriotism – understood not as a password, but as a concrete action for its own companies, technology, people.
Polish entrepreneurs are frequently left to themselves. The marketplace does not forgive mistakes, but erstwhile there is simply a bureaucratic wall, it is hard to talk about equal opportunities. The State should support its producers – not on a privilege basis, but by efficient, fair and fast procedures. Unfortunately, present it is frequently the opposite: this strategy is the biggest obstacle.
Therefore, greater solidarity is needed among entrepreneurs. request a strong voice of the business environment that will jointly fight for equal treatment, transparency and accountability of offices. Isolated cases of Ecolot not disappearing in silence. They should connect, not divide. due to the fact that present it's Krośno, next day it could be any another region or industry.
Economic patriotism is not just buying Polish products. It's besides a strategy that doesn't suppress its own businesses. If we want a strong economy, we must start with the basics: respect for those who make it.
