Corporate and commercial

Our corporate and commercial team has an established reputation in the aviation industry, having advised airlines, airport operators, financial institutions and other investors on a broad spectrum of corporate and commercial transactions. 

Experience

• Advised Falcon Aviation Services on their concession agreement with Dubai World Central Airport Authorities pertaining to the construction of the Falcon Aviation FBO terminal in the Dubai South Airport.
   
• Negotiated the construction and licensing contracts of the main helicopter terminal and helipad for Expo 2020 including liaising with GCAA, DEWA and Expo 2020 Authorities.
   
• Advised The Helicopter Company, established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund, as the first and only helicopter services provider licensed to operate commercial flights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its purchase agreements with: (i) Airbus Helicopters for 26 new helicopters, including 20 of the newly launched five bladed H145 and 6 ACH160 models; and (ii) Leonardo for 16 new helicopters, including 16 AW139 intermediate twin engine aircraft.
   
• Advised on the conditions of carriage of a major trans-Atlantic airline on the applicability of international carriage by air conventions and applicable EU regulations.
   
• Advised on amendments to the conditions of carriage of several leading European airlines to reflect changes to the regulatory landscape further to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic and following regulatory action.

Conditions of carriage

• Advised on amendments to the conditions of carriage of several leading European airlines to reflect changes to the regulatory landscape further to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic and following regulatory action.
   
• Reviewed and redrafted the conditions of carriage of a major trans-Atlantic airline on the applicability of international carriage by air conventions and applicable EU regulations.

Part 145 agreements

• Advising a major international airline with the creation and structuring of a pan-European network of MROs operating under a UK Part-145 and EASA foreign Part-145 group approval and putting into place the necessary contractual framework.

Passenger ADR agreement

• Advising in relation to a contract for the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme administered by the UK Civil Aviation Authority relating to passenger claims.

Supplier agreements and codeshares

• Advised airlines on agreements with suppliers and codeshare agreements with other airlines.

Data protection

• Providing regular advice to a major European airline concerning its obligations under national and European data protection law, including in relation to subject access requests from passengers and requests for the provision of information by law enforcement agencies.

Competition

• Advising a low-cost airline carrier on the ability to intervene and make a complaint to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority against a joint venture entered into between three international airlines. 
   
• Advising an aviation services company on a potential abuse of dominance complaint against an international manufacturer of civil and military aerospace products based on refusal to supply and discriminatory grounds in respect of the supply of certain types of aircrafts.
   
• Advising a multinational aerospace and defense technology company on allegations of price discrimination and excessive pricing in the context of vertical agreements entered into with certain airlines for aircraft repair services.
   
• Advising vendors on the sale of a British airline to another airline, including obtaining merger control clearance from the UK competition authorities and other EU competition authorities.
   
• Advising a major international airline on the competition aspects of certain of its codeshare and alliance arrangements.

Expertise