Legal Matters and the Aviation Industry

by Kassem Seedat, Specialist Consultant - Legal and Commercial

Amid the imperative of other pressing considerations, a sometimes overlooked aspect of the aviation scene is the need for scrupulous commercial and legal input.

Airports owners and operators, wind farm developers, service providers and government agencies are often faced with complex legal matters in their day-to-day operations and in conjunction with major strategic business decisions.

Aviation itself is a heavily regulated industry both through international conventions to which Australia is a party and domestically through Commonwealth (principally) and State legislation. Laws cover the carriage of people and goods by air, insurance, regulation of airlines, air routes, and airports, air traffic management, aviation safety and security, accident investigation, damage by aircraft and environmental matters.

A sound understanding of this background and its application to the wider aviation sector and to specific problems is thus important to all industry undertakings, such as contracts between aviation-sector operators; advice regarding airline certification; flight operations; maintenance; airport planning, building and on-airport activities, and to airspace protection.

Aviation Projects has experience in providing clear commercial analysis based on a thorough understanding of what the legal requirements are – this could involve in-depth study of a set of circumstances, client advice on identifying key risk areas and drafting of appropriate documents. We are able to help with, amongst other matters, the leasing of airport land and hangar space, contracts with airlines and agreements involving wind farm turbines on private land.

A recent example which Aviation Projects tackled is a project which involved advising a local government authority on the nature of its extensive but convoluted landholdings at an aerodrome and preparing documents to ensure that the site could be leased to and used by approved parties.

For assistance with aviation-related business agreements, business sales and purchases and aviation real estate, please contact Kassem Seedat on 0407 990 835 or kseedat@aviationprojects.com.au .