Airports & Aviation

Airports & Aviation: Leading the way

With in-depth knowledge of the sector in which they are immersed, Addleshaw Goddard’s international airports and aviation team has the experience and expertise to support their clients across this complex sector.

Our international team provides multi-disciplinary expertise, bringing together lawyers from our commercial, projects, finance, disputes, real estate, corporate, restructuring, employment, pensions, energy and regulatory teams, enabling us to service clients across the whole aviation market.

We regularly act for airports and airlines, as well as lenders, suppliers, service providers and sub-contractors, delivering internationally focused and full-service legal advice.

We are experts in advising on the procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of major and complex airport projects, and continue to provide vital support as airports recommence investment in their infrastructure following Covid-19 and in the face of a challenging drive to net zero.

Addleshaw Goddard is a market leading adviser in relation to sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen projects.

We are experts in advising clients in the aviation industry on cross-border and high-value commercial litigation and arbitration and regularly act for a large number of international airlines in disputes arising from their bases around the world. Our deep understanding of the aviation industry ensures we get results when clients need it most.

We act for airlines, financiers, operating lessors, asset managers, export-credit agencies and MROs in relation to the acquisition, new delivery, financing, refinancing and disposal of aircrafts, aircraft leases, sharia compliant financings, implementation and enforcement of security and capital market transactions. Our team also advises airports and airlines on restructuring proposals, and the potential legislative or regulatory implications of a restructuring.

Our aviation clients also benefit from the breadth of Addleshaw Goddard’s expertise across complimentary disciplines including in relation to renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels, planning, IT, data protection, procurement law, competition law, employment and industrial relations and commercial contracts.

Core areas of focus

The airports and aviation team's core areas of focus include:

Airport Development and Surface Access
Airport and Aviation Commercial Contracts
Aviation Regulation

Aviation Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Aviation Finance

Previous work

We've acted for numerous high-profile airports, airline, and financing clients, on a variety of contentious and non-contentious matters including:

Advising Manchester Airports Group on its ten year £1bn terminal transformation programme;
Advising London Luton Airport Limited on their £1bn expansion programme including all aspects of the £250m mass transit system between Luton Airport Parkway railway station and the airport terminal (the DART);
Advising Highlands and Islands Airports for many years on legal matters including: (a) the joint venture arrangements for their Sustainable Aviation Test Environment Project with a consortium combining public sector entities with private sector sustainable aviation expertise; (b) facilities management agreements; (c) ground handling agreements; (d) airline service contracts; (e) the procurement process for a project to look at centralising air traffic control for 9 airports to a single site; (f) retail concession agreements; (g) leases;
Advising an international airline in a US$500m+ cross-border arbitration regarding allegedly defective engines which threated to ground a significant proportion of the global fleet;
Advising Stansted Airport on its £600m Transformation Programme (delivering the biggest upgrade to the airport since the iconic Lord Norman Foster Terminal opened), including the £130m new arrivals terminal;
Legal adviser to a major international airline on all employment matters including industrial relations, application of TUPE, employment tribunal, the Equality Act, outsourcing and pensions advice;
Advising the UK operations of an international airline in response to potential enforcement action by the Civil Aviation Authority;

Advising a major international airline on the first generation outsourcing of its contact centre, together with a significant associated IT upgrade.
Advising various international airports and airlines on the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facilities, carbon off-setting programmes and greenwashing claims;
Advising an international airport in relation to: an abuse of dominance competition law claim issued against the airport by Terravision Transport Limited; and an urgent application brought by easyBus for permission to bring Judicial Review proceedings and for interim relief;
Advising a major international airline on the outsourcing of in-flight catering services at its hub airports.
Regularly advising airlines in litigation on breach of supply agreements including seeking and obtaining mandatory injunctions requiring suppliers to continue the supply of critical equipment and services.
Advising various airlines on the financing and leasing agreements for aircraft;
Advising a Spanish airline in a multi-million-pound High Court claim against a sub-lessor Defendant for breach of an aircraft sub-lease involving concurrent proceedings in England and Spain. After successfully obtaining judgment in England, the judgment was enforced in Spanish follow-on proceedings
Advising a UK airport on a potential equity and debt restructuring proposal, and the legislative and regulatory implications of the restructuring.