Aviation

Katten’s Aviation Practice serves airlines, manufacturers, financial institutions, repair facilities, parts distributors and insurers. Drawing from diverse backgrounds and practice areas, our aviation-related experience is extensive, from representing lenders and aircraft manufacturers in the sophisticated financing of new or used aircraft, engines and related equipment, to advising air carriers on Department of Transportation regulatory compliance and initiatives to amend global treaties regulating aviation.

Our work with aircraft manufacturers forms the core of Katten’s Aviation Practice. We also have broad experience in representing commercial and private operators of corporate aircraft. The Aviation Practice has helped many clients buy, register, finance and structure the operation of business aircraft. We serve our clients as trusted advisors in new transactions, workouts and bankruptcies, as well as on subtle matters such as regulatory compliance for airline joint operations, strategic alliances and discrete but official antitrust inquiries.

Services to the Aviation Industry

• Assisting lessors, lessees, lenders, arrangers, airlines and manufacturers in all matters relating to the sale, purchase, lease, financing and insuring of commercial aircraft and related equipment worldwide
• Advising lessors, lenders, repair facilities, distributors, manufacturers and airlines in bankruptcy and insolvency matters
• Corporate counseling on code shares, block space, interline and joint operations, strategic alliances and antitrust matters
• Advising on the structure of operations of commercial and private corporate aircraft
• Analyzing progress payment facilities and structures
• Representing airlines in administrative and regulatory matters before the FAA and DOT, including charter and other extra-bilateral authority
• Advising Part 135 operators on FAA/DOT compliance issues
• Representing investors acquiring equity in domestic U.S. and foreign airlines
• Advising airlines with respect to aircraft hull and product liability claims

The Aviation Practice is fully integrated with our Corporate, Insolvency and Restructuring, Tax, Real Estate, Litigation and Insurance and Risk Management practices, which together offer our clients an interdisciplinary approach to solving the unique problems frequently encountered in this global industry.

In addition to the typical commercial, legal and tax issues that arise in financial transactions in the industry, the financial side of our practice includes innovative structures involving true leases, loan securitization, enhanced equipment trust certificates, pooled aircraft securitizations, asset preservation, credit enhancement and residual value support.