SECTEURS – Odi-sé Avocat

We advise our clients on all legal, tax and regulatory aspects of commercial aviation, including in the following areas :

Purchase and disposal of aircraft
Financing of aircraft and aircraft engines
Operating lease (including sale and lease backs) of aircraft and aircraft engines
Complex maintenance arrangements
Aviation insurance.
Import and export of aircraft
Registration of aircraft and rights in aircraft
Regulation
Dispute resolution

We have also advised clients on the corporate finance aspects of airline operation, including the creation from scratch of airlines, their disposal, their restructuring or insolvency.

Business aviation is, in many ways, a specific sector within the wider aviation industry. Business aviation is at the forefront of economic growth. It requires "custom" legal engineering in all aspects of its operation.

Our lawyers have considerable experience of all legal and tax aspects of the acquisition, operation, financing and ownership of a business jet.

Our services include :

Advising on the ownership structure and the selection of the registry
The review and negotiation of purchase agreements for factory new or pre-owned aircraft.
The drafting and negotiation of documents for the financing of the aircraft and the security package.
All formalities in connection with the import in the EU (and export out of the EU) of the aircraft and the analysis of its VAT status.
Aviation insurance.
The review and negotiation of management and operating agreements between the owner and the operator.
Advising on the disposal of pre-owned aircraft and assisting on the escrow and closing arrangements

Odi-sé Avocats is an associate member of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and a member of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA).

The defense & security sectors have always been at the forefront of innovative public-private partnerships for the supply of capacity (such as flight hours) as an alternative to traditional acquisition.

In these outsourcing transactions the authority contracts with a private partner for maintenance and training services or the provision of aircraft on a flight hour basis, with the private partner taking the burden of acquiring and financing the assets.

Our lawyers have a long-standing experience of transactions in the defense and security sectors (including emergency services). We have drafted the first public-private partnership contract entered into by the French ministry of defense for the provision of helicopter flight hours to the training facilities of the French field army's base in Dax and we have since advised clients on numerous public procurement contracts for the outsourcing of aircraft and aviation related services.

We have a long experience of advising operators, lessors and lenders on the purchase, financing and leasing of helicopters.

Maintenance is a crucial part of an helicopter operation and is key to maintaining its value. We thus pay attention to the review and negotiation of maintenance contracts for our lessor and lender clients.

We have reviewed and negotiated "pay by the hour" agreements with most helicopter and helicopter engine manufacturers and have advised on the arrangements that give lessors and financiers access to these agreements.