Airports and Aviation

We understand the ever changing landscape of airports and aviation law firsthand. Our team is led by a former in-house counsel for the Miami International Airport, who advised the airport in all of its operations and business dealings, including the planning of the complete redevelopment of the North Terminal. We represent regional, national and international airports and airport-related businesses, including airlines, cargo carriers, car rental companies, airport concessionaires, consultants, and construction and engineering firms across a broad spectrum of litigation, transactional, and regulatory matters.

Our lawyers have years of experience in airport finance, airline negotiations, airport concessions and land leasing and development. We have helped numerous firms win major airport concessions around the United States and have negotiated airline-airport use agreements, rental car facility agreements, fuel system lease agreements, management agreements, rental car lease and concession agreements, and other ground transportation agreements. We have also assisted airports in their non-aviation development deals, expansions, construction projects, labor agreements and First Amendment issues.

We are well positioned geographically to counsel major international airlines, as well as foreign passenger and cargo carriers, in deals and matters related to Latin America, including issues involving routes, airport expansion, public-private partnership (P3) transactions, and procurement. We also negotiate contracts and leases, shepherd matters through the Department of Transportation, and litigate cargo claims, employment disputes and contract disputes.

In particular, our team has a long history of successfully representing some of the region’s most high-profile complex P3 transactions and assisting municipalities and private entities in the planning, negotiating, drafting and execution of a project. We have the strategic vision and experience to advise government entities and officials with respect to structuring, analyzing alternatives, conducting one-on-one negotiations with bidders and bringing projects to fruition. Our leading roles in some of the most significant transactions include:

• Representing a major international airline in connection with the construction of a $1.5 billion airport expansion in partnership with Miami-Dade County and representing an international surface transportation vendor in connection with its contract to design and oversee the overhaul of Miami-Dade County’s  Metro-rail and Metro-mover system.
• Counseling the Pensacola airport on a long-term ground lease and operating agreement for development of an on-airport hotel and mixed-use business facility.
• Representing the Miami Dade Expressway Authority in the development of the Miami Intermodal Center, which links the Tri-Rail, Metrorail, Car Rental Center and all ground transportation to Miami International Airport.
• Counseling on the redevelopment of a terminal at Hewanorra International Airport for St. Lucia Air and Sea Port Authority

We are well versed in aviation law, but we also have lawyers with real-world expertise in the aviation field. One of our trial attorneys is a former senior aircraft maintenance manager for Northwest Airlines with extensive experience managing maintenance operations with a large union work-force. He is also an experienced pilot holding a Commercial Multi-Engine Land with Instrument Privilege Certificate.

We help our clients successfully navigate the regulatory and governmental thicket to achieve their important business goals. We leverage lawyers across practice groups, including government affairs, litigation, public contracts and bid disputes, land use, labor, environmental, real estate, business transactions and public-private infrastructure development, which gives us unique legal and business insight.