Aviation

Our aviation regulatory practice delivers counsel at the intersection of complex federal regulation and real-world aviation operations, representing aircraft owners, operators, manufacturers, and other industry participants before the full range of U.S. and international regulatory bodies. At the core of our practice is deep experience with a broad array of federal agencies include:

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
• Department of Commerce (DOC)

We advise clients on the complete spectrum of compliance and enforcement issues arising under Parts 91, 135, and 121, as well as international operational requirements and cross-border regulatory obligations. Our attorneys counsel clients on certification and licensing, flight operations, safety regulation, hazardous materials, airport access, consumer protection, and accessibility requirements, providing the practical regulatory guidance that keeps operations compliant and businesses protected.

Our practice also encompasses the full range of international aviation matters, including bilateral and multilateral agreements, emerging policy and regulatory developments, and the complex operational considerations that attend cross-border aviation activities.

When disputes or government scrutiny arise, our team is prepared to mount a vigorous defense, conducting thorough internal investigations and representing aircraft operators and supply chain manufacturers in FAA investigations and enforcement actions. From day-to-day compliance counseling to high-stakes regulatory proceedings, our attorneys bring the experience, relationships, and strategic insight necessary to protect our clients' interests in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

We handle the full range of business aircraft transactions, including aircraft sales, purchases, leases, and financings. Our team provides tailored legal counsel to foreign and domestic clients in the private and corporate aviation space, from high-net-worth individuals and family offices to multinational corporations with sophisticated flight operations.

We regularly counsel clients on flight department and operations structuring, fleet refreshes, and fractional ownership arrangements, helping clients design ownership and operational models that align with their specific business and operational objectives. We also bring deep regulatory fluency to our practice, advising clients on the FAA and DOT considerations that govern aircraft operations and corporate flight departments, and assisting in structuring those operations to achieve full compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks and aircraft registration requirements.

Our commercial aviation transactional practice offers comprehensive legal counsel across a full spectrum of aviation deals, providing clients with sophisticated, deal-driven expertise. We represent clients across the industry in aircraft and engine sales and acquisitions, lease structuring, financing, and sale-leaseback transactions. Our team is equally at home advising on the cutting edge of aviation commerce, including in-flight connectivity agreements, parts purchase agreements, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul arrangements that keep fleets airworthy and operationally efficient.

We also bring deep experience to procurement and supply chain matters, helping clients build resilient, cost-effective sourcing frameworks. We counsel clients on cargo and charter operations, addressing the unique contractual, regulatory, and liability considerations that arise in these specialized sectors.

Our M&A practice serves clients across the aviation sector, advising on acquisitions and divestitures involving aviation-related targets, including MROs, parts and component manufacturers, distributors, and aircraft owners and operators. We address the unique regulatory, operational, and compliance considerations that arise in these transactions.

We are also at the forefront of the regulatory and transactional issues shaping emerging aviation technology, counseling clients on high stakes matters involving unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), and commercial space ventures. From certification strategy and airspace integration to investment, financing, and commercial agreements tailored to next-generation aviation platforms, we bring both the technical regulatory depth and the transactional sophistication that emerging aviation technology demands.

We have represented airports, airport authorities, governments, and a host of private sector clients on important issues related to construction and infrastructure, transportation, public-private partnerships, and government contracts and grants, as well as aviation regulatory matters in various jurisdictions, including the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States. Notably, we have served as lead counsel to a government entity on all aspects of an airport’s design, construction and expansion — one of the largest infrastructure projects in the world — for over two decades.

Our work covers the entire lifecycle of an airport project, including:

• Transaction Structuring
• Drafting and Negotiation of Key Agreements
• Financing Documentation
• Regulatory and Compliance Advisory
• Dispute Resolution and Risk Mitigation

Additional details about our airport major projects practice can be found here.