Gabriella Mifsud

Full Profile

Gabriella Mifsud is a dual-qualified solicitor, qualified in Malta and England and Wales, with a specialisation in Aviation and Space Law. She is based in London. She holds an Advanced LLM in Air and Space Law (cum laude) from Leiden University.

Gabriella’s practice involves a broad range of aviation liability, regulatory and commercial work, enabling Gabriella to have a strong and multi-faceted understanding of the aviation industry. Gabriella has assisted in advising various international airlines on regulatory issues such as airport slots, sustainability requirements and consumer law issues and frequently assists in the drafting and negotiating of commercial agreements between airlines, and between airlines and their OEMs. She also advises airlines and their insurers in relation to major aircraft incidents, personal injury claims and aircraft hull claims.

Gabriella also has experience advising on coverage issues arising under launch and in-orbit policies and advising satellite operators on regulatory requirements.

Gabriella has published articles on aviation law and space law in peer-reviewed journals such as Wolters Kluwer’s Air and Space Law, presented papers at conferences such as the International Astronautical Congress and spoken at conferences in London and abroad. She is also co-author of the UK Chapter of the Aviation Law Review, now known as “Lexology In-Depth: Aviation Law – UK”.

Gabriella speaks Maltese and English.

Experience

Regulatory & Commercial

• Negotiating and advising on various high-value engine agreements for various airlines against major OEMs
• Advising on and drafting of several airport slot exchange transactions (including purchase, lease and ‘babysitting’ arrangements) between airlines operating out of London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Dubai International Airport
• Advising on UK and EU ownership and control issues for airlines
• Providing strategic advice to airlines in relation to greenwashing, ESG regulations and sustainability standards applicable to their advertising campaigns and general offering to customers
• Drafting conditions of carriage for airlines and advising on passenger rights protection regulation within the UK and EU
• Advising a drone operator in relation to various regulatory requirements relating to the carriage of goods by drones, their operation and safety-related requirements

Contentious

• Acting for IATA in a judicial review brought by Gatwick Airport Ltd against the Secretary of State in relation to airport slot alleviation 
• Advising an air operator in mediation proceedings with a major OEM over the supply of engine maintenance services and subsequent settlement proceedings
• Advising a national airline in relation to possible recourse under international law arising from a major aircraft incident in Asia
• Advising an airline and its insurers in relation to claims for compensation from the bereaved families of deceased passengers, claims against third parties and related matters arising from a major aircraft incident in Asia
• Advising various insurers in relation to a high-profile satellite loss
• Representing several airlines and their insurers in aviation liability claims