The Firm’s well-established experience of over thirty years in the aviation sector is complemented by an increasingly structured presence in the space industry, built in close collaboration with technical experts in the field.

This approach enables the Firm to support clients at every stage of their business: from extraordinary corporate transactions to regulatory compliance, from international contracts to dispute resolution.

Aviation

The Firm assists airlines, airports, ground handling operators, aircraft manufacturers and trade associations, with a strong presence in the business aviation industry. The Firm’s professionals offer solid expertise in commercial and administrative litigation, aviation accidents and competition matters, assisting clients before national and European courts and antitrust authorities.

The Firm supports clients in aircraft financing transactions — financing, leasing and acquisition of aircraft — and in sector-specific contracts, including dry and wet lease agreements and ACMI contracts.

The Firm’s extensive experience in extraordinary corporate transactions enables it to assist aviation operators and airport management companies with M&A transactions and corporate restructuring.

The Firm also supports airlines through every stage of the process of certifying, obtaining and maintaining air operator licences with the relevant national and European authorities, including ENAC, the European Commission, EUROCONTROL and EASA.The Firm offers assistance on all regulatory and insurance matters, with extensive experience in public and private financing for airports and airlines in relation to public service obligations, state aid and start-up routes. 

Space

The space sector is experiencing a period of great dynamism: the expansion of applications and the rapid pace of technological innovation are opening up unprecedented opportunities, within a rapidly evolving and increasingly complex regulatory framework. Against this backdrop, public and private operators require specialised legal support to ensure compliance with national and European regulations and to adopt industry best practices.

The Firm has expertise in aerospace law, international contracts, liability, taxation and financing. The Firm’s in-depth understanding of global geopolitical dynamics enables it to assist clients in managing commercial, customs and import/export relations with EU and non-EU countries, as well as in defining governance mechanisms for satellite systems and related applications — including the New Space Economy — in collaboration with the relevant European and national institutions (DG MOVE, DG DEFIS, DG ECHO, DG GROW, EUSPA, ESA and ASI).

The Firm assists manufacturers, operators and insurers in the sector on a wide range of transactions and issues: 

• Extraordinary corporate transactions: M&A, Golden Power, venture capital and corporate restructuring across aviation and space.

• Regulatory framework: market access, licences, authorisations and compliance with national and European legislation.

• International contracts: supply agreements, joint ventures, consortia and partnerships with national, European and international institutions.

• Public and private financing: access to European funds, aerospace and satellite tenders, state aid and corporate financing.

• Governance and satellite systems: definition of governance frameworks for satellite systems, Earth observation platforms and space telecommunications infrastructure.

• Litigation: dispute resolution, including matters relating to civil liability for damage to third parties.

• Import/export and control: management of customs matters, regulation of international trade in dual-use technologies and compliance with export control regulations.