Aviation

Overview

Greenspoon Marder’s Aviation practice group provides comprehensive legal services to clients across the aviation industry. Our team brings together litigation strength, regulatory insight, and transactional expertise to deliver clear, practical solutions in this complex and fast-moving sector.

The aviation industry is highly regulated, global in scope, and often subject to evolving international frameworks. Our attorneys advise both U.S. and international companies on a wide range of matters, including compliance with aviation regulations, adherence to international conventions, and cross-border business considerations. We also provide guidance to airlines and companies seeking to operate in foreign jurisdictions by delivering clear legal counsel and ensuring compliance with local and international aviation laws.

Our aviation practice delivers comprehensive legal solutions across the entire sector. We serve a broad spectrum of clients — including international and domestic airlines, business aviation operators, service providers, investors, aerospace and drone companies, as well as high-tech companies offering aviation-related services — providing tailored legal support to address their unique challenges and opportunities.

Our services include:

Litigation & Dispute Resolution – Represent airlines and aviation businesses in contractual disputes, commercial litigation, arbitration, passenger rights claims and class action lawsuits. Our team has experience in cases involving alleged violations of domestic and foreign laws and regulations, as well as international conventions.
Regulatory & Compliance Counsel – Advise on federal, state, and international aviation requirements, including passenger rights, safety standards, consumer protection obligations, and the tax consequences of aircraft purchases, such as federal depreciation benefits, state sales and use tax obligations, and international VAT or import duties.
Corporate & Transactional Support – Structure and negotiate acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, Terms of Carriage, lease and service agreements tailored to aviation sector needs.
Risk Management & Strategic Planning – Develop proactive strategies to help clients address regulatory obligations while anticipating future developments.
Cross-Border Guidance – Support both U.S. and international clients with the legal challenges of global aviation operations, including issues of jurisdiction, international law, and compliance.
Multi-Disciplinary Support – Leverage the firm’s strength in tax (including tax audits), corporate, real estate, immigration, intellectual property, restructuring and employment and labor law to deliver comprehensive service to aviation clients.

Select Representative Experience:

Representation in connection with large-scale class actions for airlines, including matters involving consumer protection law and alleged breaches of regulatory requirements in multiple jurisdictions, such as EU Regulation 261/2004, the IASL, and international aviation conventions.
Representation in connection with defending airlines in individual passenger claims, breach of contract cases, and baggage disputes.
Representation in connection with a fractional ownership airline in joint ventures, commercial contracts and regulatory matters in Europe, the Middle East and Asia and acquiring and financing aircraft and fleets.
Representation in connection with successfully defending an aviation company during a comprehensive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audit.
Representation in connection with the acquisition of aircraft (individual and fleet), renovation of aircraft, landing rights, registration issues, and work with the FAA and CAB, and their equivalents in the EU and China.
Representation in connection with supporting and advising airlines on foreign and domestic regulatory matters, including drafting response templates and compliance communications.
Representation in connection with coordinating successful threshold defense of Malaysian Airlines System Berhad in U.S. multi-district litigation arising out of the loss of Flight MH370 over the Southern Indian Ocean.
Representation in connection with handling numerous tort claims on behalf of airlines, including personal injury and other passenger damage cases.
Representation in connection with drafting and revising airlines’ terms of carriage, ensuring compliance with international and local regulations.
Representation in connection with advising and supporting drone companies on regulatory and compliance matters.
Representation in connection with counseling airlines and aviation companies on day-to-day legal issues, including regulatory compliance, engagement with foreign regulators, website disclosures, tax issues, and operational concerns.
Representation in connection with drafting of a co-share rental agreement involving a private jet.
Representation in connection with serving as outside general counsel for a global aviation company.
Representation in connection with leading internal compliance projects for airlines, including code of conduct implementation, loyalty program reviews, consumer protection compliance, and corporate governance initiatives.
Representation in connection with military contractors (including aircraft parts manufacturers) in acquisitions and divestitures.
Representation in connection with a private aviation client led to the dismissal of nearly all counts against the client and individual defendants, with the litigation now focusing on limited aspects of a breach of contract claim.
Representation in connection with successfully representing a foreign air carrier in property damage litigation in the Circuit Court of Cook County, resulting in a multi-million-dollar judgment.
Representation in connection with sales and use tax audits by the Colorado Department of Revenue for aircraft purchases, including guidance on applicable exemptions, interstate commerce qualifications, and residency-based tax consequences.
Representation in connection with providing advice regarding U.S. litigation arising out of the loss of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 over the Java Sea.
Representation in connection with advising an avionics product manufacturer through mediation in wrongful death litigation arising out of the crash of a twin-engine Cessna aircraft carrying seven in Bloomington, Ill.
Representation in connection with counseling and guiding aviation sales and charter businesses in all aspects of fixed operations, employment, and regulatory matters, as well as litigation defense.
Representation in connection with counseling parties in relation to various airline bankruptcy cases.
Representation in connection with serving as National Immigration Counsel for a Latin American and Caribbean trade association for airlines.

At Greenspoon Marder, we recognize that aviation is a dynamic industry shaped by both national and international rules. Our Aviation practice group is committed to providing responsive, forward-looking counsel to help clients succeed in an environment where timing, compliance, and precision are critical.