RegionsAir, the airline that flew passengers from Decatur to St. Louis until a March shutdown, filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and government agencies asking to be reinstated.

RegionsAir also requests $11.65 million in damages.

In the complaint, RegionsAir alleges that Durbin embarked on a campaign to close RegionsAir's operation.

"Sen. Durbin lobbied American Airlines, the secretary of transportation and regional airports in pursuit of his goal of closing plaintiff's business," the complaint states.

According to the complaint, filed by attorney Michael Moulis, the FAA coerced RegionsAir into signing a consent decree by threatening to prevent some of its employees from working in aviation in the future. The complaint states that the company's president was given about 15 to 45 minutes to sign the decree, without benefit of counsel.

The consent decree stated that RegionsAir would suspend its operation, pending compliance with training and other regulations. The lawsuit alleges that the consent decree, or contract, was entered in by the federal government under false pretenses: It was a ruse employed to close the business.

According to the complaint, after RegionsAir fully complied with terms of the contract, the FAA ignored its efforts.

"- the FAA failed to commit one inspector to RegionAir's facility," the complaint states. "- the FAA inspectors failed to return phone calls, or return written correspondence to RegionsAir."

Durbin's press secretary, Joe Shoemaker, referred questions on the lawsuit to the Office of Senate Legal Counsel, the agency that litigates lawsuits against U.S. senators. Nobody at that office was available Monday to speak on the complaint. An FAA spokesman declined to comment.

The Tennessee-based carrier, founded in 1996, flew passengers between Decatur and St. Louis. It was serving 10 Midwestern communities, including Springfield, Marion and Quincy, and had about 250 employees at the time it was shut down.

Nathan Vallier, director of sales and marketing for RegionsAir at the time of the shutdown, said he hopes the lawsuit will help restore the company's certification.

"If things were to happen quickly, then the chances are good that they could restart service," Vallier said. "If there ever was a chance of a resurrection, this is it."

Vallier said he and many employees believe the company was treated unfairly by the government.

If a court ruling in the company's favor was reached, it could be operating again within 60 days, Vallier said.

"A lot of employees feel shortchanged," he said, adding that some are still unemployed, while others are working for less money and fewer benefits. "We feel that somebody pushed us out the door. We just want our jobs back."

Since RegionsAir's operation was interrupted, no other carrier has taken its place, leaving Decatur and other communities without service to St. Louis.

"There aren't airlines with airplanes available," Vallier said.

He and other former employees are hoping the lawsuit will help uncover the story of why the government shut down a company that served and employed many people.

"It will be interesting to see in the courts, to see the testimony and the paper trail," Vallier said. "We feel it was motivated. Somebody was motivated to get rid of us. Somebody does not like the company. I want to know what happened. If the FAA was pressured, who pressured the FAA and why? What was their motive?"

Joe Attwood, Decatur Airport director, was not optimistic that the litigation will have any positive impact in the near future.

"The lawsuit will take so long, I'm afraid," Attwood said. "We are very anxious for air service to be resumed. I don't see how the lawsuit will help Decatur."

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985. Chris Lusvardi contributed to this report.