Chalk's International Airlines, a fixture on the South Florida aviation scene since World War I, has lost its federal operating license and its future looks dim.

The tiny seaplane operator, with headquarters at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, has not flown since Sept. 3, according to airport officials.

Crippled by a fatal crash of one of its Grumman Turbo Mallard seaplanes in Miami on Dec. 19, 2005, Chalk's had been leasing planes from another airline to ferry passengers between airports in South Florida and the Bahamas. Without operating authority from the Department of Transportation, however, it cannot even do that.

On Tuesday, the Broward County Commission is scheduled to consider terminating the airline's lease at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Chalk's has not paid rent since April on its counter space in Terminal 4 and is more than $11,000 behind on rent and landing fees, according to an airport memo.

Efforts to reach Chalk's general manager Rajan Nair through phone messages and e-mail were unsuccessful. Fort Lauderdale airport spokesman Greg Meyer said the airline has not returned phone calls left by airport officials for several weeks.

"If they're not going to pay, we need a tenant in there that will," Meyer said.

Chalk's over the years developed a strong following among Bahamians living in South Florida. Unlike other airlines that fly to the Bahamas, Chalk's seaplanes allowed it to fly directly to North Bimini.