Aviation is one of the most highly-regulated industries. But the nature and scale of regulation is rapidly changing with the growing liberalisation of the industry. This in turn increases regulation by way of competition rules and passenger protection measures.
At Clyde & Co we offer our clients the confidence generated by our long immersion in the aviation industry and our regulatory and EC competition experience. The regulatory team is based in London but many of the issues we deal with are international. We have additional specialists working out of our many overseas offices.
We advise airlines, airports, financiers and others involved in the industry on a wide variety of regulatory issues.
Airport issues on which we advise include airport charges, airport facilities, groundhandling, slots (including transactions in slots), and state aid for airports.
On the aircraft side our work includes:
- Certification and technical matters
- Corporate aviation
- Crimes on board
- Licensing of flight crew
- Management
- Environmental
- Operational issues
We advise on all aspects of airline regulation, including operating licences, air operators' certificates and international traffic rights, particularly in the context of start-ups.
Working closely with our EC competition group, we advise on all matters relating to EC and UK competition law and EC aviation law. The latter includes matters such as:
- Airline licensing
- Slots
- Groundhandling
- Security
- Aviation relations with other countries
We have been involved in a number of the recent high-profile EC Commission enquiries and cases, especially in the context of cargo sub-charging and state aid.
Airlines flying into and out of the EC are increasingly affected by regulation of passenger and consumer issues such as:
- Contract terms
- Environmental protection
- Data protection
- Denied boarding, cancellation and delay
- Frequent flyer programmes
- Package travel regulation
- Air travel organisers’ licensing
- Ticketing
- Minimum insurance requirements
Our lawyers are frequently asked to advise in the context of current developments and trends in passenger and consumer protection.