Clyde & Co strengthens global aviation practice with partner hires Dave Pflieger and Tannie Kwong

Global law firm Clyde & Co today announces the arrival of aviation partners Dave Pflieger based in Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington DC, and Tannie Kwong based in Hong Kong.

Dave Pflieger brings more than 30 years of senior legal, financial, commercial, operational, and aviation safety experience. As a former five-time airline CEO, General Counsel, COO, Board member, Director of Flight Safety, commercial airline captain (Airbus and Boeing) and Air Force instructor pilot, Dave has held leadership roles across some of the industry's most recognised international, low-cost carrier, and regional airlines.

Dave was a founding officer and key member of the senior executive team that created, launched, and grew low-cost carrier Virgin America, serving as General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, and Vice President of the airline’s Operations Control Centre. He also served at Delta Air Lines as their Operations Attorney and Director of Flight Safety, before becoming Vice President of Operations of Delta’s low-cost airline Song.

Dave subsequently led the highly successful turnaround, re-fleeting, and rebranding of Air Pacific into Fiji Airways. He has also served as CEO of Silver Airways, Hawaii Island Air, Ravn Air Group in the US, and Flybe in the UK. Dave’s work in the airline industry has encompassed multiple airline turnarounds, re-launches, and start-ups; capital raises; aircraft purchasing, financing, and leasing; regulatory certifications; commercial partnerships, fleet programs, vendor and supplier negotiations, labour relations, as well as financial, operational, commercial, and safety transformations.

He has worked extensively with aviation authorities including the US Department of Transportation, FAA and NTSB, as well as the UK CAA and regulators in Australia, Fiji, and Cabo Verde.

Based in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Washington DC, Dave will strengthen Clyde & Co’s global aviation capabilities in both North America and internationally by supporting clients with growth, transformation, regulatory compliance, crisis prevention & preparedness, commercial disputes, incidents and investigations, as well as the latest challenges and opportunities in areas such as cybersecurity and AI.

Tannie is a disputes lawyer with nearly 20 years’ experience, including 14 years focused on trade and transport. He joins from Cathay Pacific, which has been named among the Top 3 World’s Best Airlines by Skytrax in 2025 and 2026. At Cathay, Tannie held roles as Senior Legal Counsel with responsibility for the airline’s disputes, and he served most recently as Head of Customer Support, leading a global team of more than 250 people responsible for customer enquiries and complaints, passenger claims, customer social media, and proactive service recovery during disruptions. Before joining Cathay Pacific, he practiced as a transport and commercial litigation lawyer in Sydney.

His combination of private practice, in-house legal and frontline operational experience gives him a distinctive understanding of the issues facing airlines, how legal decisions are implemented across an airline, and how passenger issues, claims, operations, customer response, and reputation intersect.

Based in Hong Kong, Tannie’s appointment strengthens Clyde & Co’s ability to support aviation clients across the Asia Pacific region with high-volume passenger claims, regulatory compliance and legal risk management, as well as with responding to increasingly complex passenger rights and consumer regulation, review conditions of carriage, and help clients make greater use of technology and automation.

Significant opportunities in the global aviation market

The further expansion of Clyde & Co’s global aviation capability across the US and Asia Pacific comes at a time of significant opportunities for airline and aviation operators, investors, manufacturers, lessors and insurers in the sector. Long-term industry forecasts continue to indicate that global passenger traffic is expected to more than double over the next two decades, driven by growing demand in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and emerging markets.

At the same time, airlines, airports and aviation businesses are navigating increasingly complex regulatory, financing, operational and sustainability challenges. Industry forecasts anticipate demand for more than 40,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years, alongside substantial investment in airport infrastructure and fleet modernisation.

Against this backdrop, clients are seeking advisers who can deliver legal, financial, commercial, operational and aviation safety expertise across multiple jurisdictions. The continued growth of Clyde & Co's aviation practice reflects its success to date in serving the evolving needs of clients operating in a global sector that remains strictly regulated and capital intensive.

Dave says: “I am delighted to be joining Clyde & Co. and its team of world-class aviation lawyers. The firm’s 100-year history and growth from its days as a founder of aviation legal services to a world-renowned and truly global aviation practice is remarkable. The aviation industry is a closely interconnected sector, and today’s clients need advisers who not only know their business inside & out but are readily available – around the clock – to help them navigate complex and strategic challenges across multiple jurisdictions. As a result, I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues across the globe to advise and assist airlines, lessors, MROs, ground handlers, airports, investors, insurers, and other key players overcome industry challenges, grow, and achieve even greater success!” 

Tannie says: “Clyde & Co offers a fantastic combination in its sector focus, international reach and collaborative approach to client service. Aviation businesses across Asia Pacific are operating in an increasingly dynamic environment, with significant activity across airlines, airports, financing, infrastructure and technology. I am excited to join a team that is so deeply embedded in the sector and look forward to working with colleagues across the region and globally to help clients seize opportunities, manage risk and navigate the complex challenges facing the industry.” 

Kevin Sutherland, Partner and Chair of the Global Aviation Practice Group, San Francisco. comments: “Aviation remains one of the most international and highly regulated sectors in which our clients operate. As airlines, airports, lessors, insurers and investors respond to growing demand and continued industry transformation, access to specialist advice with deep sector knowledge is more important than ever. The addition of highly experienced aviation practitioners Tannie and Dave reflects our commitment to providing clients with market-leading aviation expertise wherever they operate. Our new partners bring considerable airline-side experience into our global aviation practice, and understand not only the legal issues facing airlines, but how decisions are made and implemented across the boardroom, legal function, operations centre and customer-facing business.”

Strong global and regional offering

Tannie and Dave’s arrival illustrates the continued growth of the firm’s global aviation practice, most recently with partner hires of Nick Roberts in London, Nick Humphrey and Bushra Abu Tayeh in Dubai and the promotion of Cecily Scutt to Partner in London, Autumn Lewis to Partner in Phoenix and Los Angeles, along with Maren Brune and Paola Croci’s arrival as Counsels in Munich and Milan respectively, and the strengthening of the firm’s airline claims capability in Newcastle.

Clyde & Co’s global aviation practice includes 120 aviation attorneys who are part of over 3,200 lawyers in over 70 offices worldwide. The firm’s aviation specialists have experience working for government regulators, in-house for airlines, as aeronautical engineers, as aircraft and powerplant mechanics, pilots, flight attendants and inflight safety instructors.

Clyde & Co is one of few firms able to provide an end-to-end aviation legal service, covering all sectors of the aviation industry with specialist knowledge, and operating through a single global practice group.