Aircraft Transactions

We regularly advise aviation clients who are buying, selling, leasing, operating, storing, or furnishing aircraft on the many issues that abound, including business, compliance and tax. 

The attorneys on our Aviation Finance team (some of whom are pilots and aircraft owners) have extensive experience and assist commercial, business and private aviation-related clients in transactional, regulatory, finance, and litigation matters.

Experience

Transaction Experience

• Structuring, negotiating and preparing documentation for the purchase, financing, ownership, leasing and sale of aircraft.
• Negotiating, structuring and preparing documentation for the purchase and leasing of aircraft hangar sites and construction of hangar facilities.
• Structuring and negotiating dry lease, timeshare, interchange and charter arrangements.
• Negotiating and documenting pilot services and aircraft management agreements and all aspects of flight department operations.
• Negotiating and documenting fractional executive jet ownership arrangements.
• Negotiation and documentation of foreign owner trust arrangements.
• Restructuring problem aircraft loans.
• Our relationships with a variety of capital resources can prove helpful in structuring your financing needs.

Tax and Regulatory Compliance

• Structuring ownership and operation of aircraft to minimize state and federal tax consequences.
• Assisting with Federal Aviation Administration registration, licensure, permits and other FAA regulations.
• Assisting owners and lenders in complying with Cape Town Convention International Registry.
• Structuring and documenting aircraft 1031 forward and reverse exchanges.
• Advising on the nonbusiness use of employer-provided aircraft, bonus depreciation, passive activity loss and related party leasing rules.
• Resolving controversies with the FAA.
• Assisting with IRS audits of aircraft ownership and operational activities.
• Many issues relating to state, federal and international tax laws can be reduced with proper counsel.