Munsch Hardt’s Aviation practice provides strategic, business-focused legal counsel to participants across the aviation industry, including aircraft owners, operators, lessors, lenders, investors, fixed base operators, Part 145 repair stations, and service providers. Our clients range from private companies and family offices to international airlines, specialty financing companies, and foreign strategic investors.
The aviation sector presents a unique combination of complex regulatory requirements, evolving operational challenges, and high-value transactions that frequently cross international borders. Our attorneys understand these dynamics and work closely with clients to deliver practical, efficient solutions that support both day-to-day operations and long-term growth.
We advise clients on the full lifecycle of aircraft ownership and operation – from acquisition and financing through ongoing operations, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution. Our transactional experience encompasses single-aircraft purchases, multi-aircraft and fleet acquisitions, engine and parts inventory transactions, dry leases, fractional ownership structures, aircraft trusts, joint ventures, and management and support agreements for Part 91 and Part 135 operations. We also counsel clients on mergers and acquisitions involving aviation and aerospace businesses, airport concessions, real estate development at and surrounding airports, and the sale and conversion of aircraft for specialized uses such as freighter configuration.
When disputes arise, we defend our clients in litigation, defeat injunctive relief efforts, and protect their interests in NTSB proceedings and internal investigations. On the labor and employment front, our team handles complex workforce matters unique to the aviation and aerospace industries, including strategic planning for facility consolidations, decision and effects bargaining with incumbent unions, and the navigation of longstanding collective bargaining relationships.
By leveraging the Firm’s broader corporate, finance, labor and employment, and litigation capabilities, we provide comprehensive, coordinated counsel tailored to the aviation industry – whether the transaction or matter is domestic or involves counterparties and operators located throughout South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, or Asia.
Drawing on the breadth of our experience across the full spectrum of aviation matters, our team is well positioned to address the distinct and evolving needs of our clients, including:
Corporate Transactions
- Aircraft acquisitions
- Aircraft financing
- Charter agreements
- Contract negotiation
- Due diligence
- Lease arrangements
- Maintenance agreements
- Operational support
Labor & Employment
- Labor relations
- Union negotiations
- Whistleblower claims
Litigation
- Dispute resolution
- Internal investigations
- Litigation defense
- NTSB proceedings
Regulatory
- FAA matters
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk management