Airline operations

Examples of our experience in disputes involving airline operations concerning:

Commercial disputes

• Acting for Ryanair in ongoing complicated and high value litigation in the English High Court brought by two online travel agents, On The Beach and Travel Republic, involving complex issues of competition law and the application of the UK Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. 

• Represented Ryanair DAC in English Commercial Court litigation involving the car hire company Hertz Europe, a case that was listed as one of The Lawyer's top 20 cases for 2018.

Airports

• Represented several carriers in disputes with airports over airport fees and charges, ground handling services, discriminatory pricing, and state aid.

• Acted for a major European airline in relation to a dispute with a European airport regarding the classification of routes and the levels of airport charges under an airport services agreement.

• Acted for a European low-cost airline in LCIA arbitration proceedings in relation to airport and landing charges.

• Acted for a major European airline in a dispute with a British airport concerning the withdrawal of its aircraft from the airport in alleged breach of an airport services agreement between the airline and the airport in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Defended a UK low-cost carrier at the quantum stage of English High Court proceedings concerning a commercial dispute with an airport in relation to the airline's decision to withdraw from that airport.

Airport Slots Co-ordinator and Air Navigational Service Providers (ANSPs) 

• Represented airlines in defending / appealing substantial financial sanctions proposed / issued by the UK's airport slots coordinator related to those airlines' alleged operation at slot-coordinated (capacity constrained) airports at times significantly different from the allocated slots.

• Acted for airlines in disputes and claims arising out of landing and navigational charges.

Ground handlers and caterers

• Advised a leading airline on the termination of a standard IATA ground handling agreement for London Gatwick, on the basis that the ground handler failed to provide the expected standards of services.

• Advised a major European airline in relation to contractual disputes with its ground handling contractors based at various airports around Europe.

• Advised one of the world's largest aviation catering companies in relation to a dispute regarding the supply of premium catering services to a leading global airline.

Expertise