Editorial: Aviation in the UAE
01 August 2008
So far 2008 has been a boom year for the United Arab Emirates' aviation industry, with Etihad Airways, the country's national airline, enjoying a 41 per cent rise in passenger figures since 2007, and 3.5 million passengers using Abu Dhabi airport alone between January and May.
This prosperity looks set to continue, with plans for infrastructure developments and the imminent creation of another intercontinental airline (the region's fourth) alongside the establishment of the Ras Al-Khaimah spaceport. Our research discovered six attorneys who are at the cutting edge of this vibrant and expanding legal marketplace.
Donald H Bunker and Associates is the only aviation boutique in the Gulf, and this strength of focus has established it as the leading aviation law firm in the UAE, with two partners listed in this chapter. Donald Bunker's reputation as "one of the best in the world" is supported by his being placed first in our research for this chapter. He is joined on these pages by corporate aircraft and finance specialist Ian Veall. The firm has handled numerous international aircraft financings, including the initial Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 777 fleet for Emirates Airlines, a fleet of Airbus A-330s for Sri Lankan Airlines and Japanese "samurai leases" for Air Canada B-747s and B-727s.
With the Gulf emerging as the major trading gateway through which the emerging superpowers of China and India are linked with Europe, it is no surprise that many firms in the region boast a multi-jurisdictional portfolio of clients. No firm demonstrates this better than Al Tamimi & Company, which has regularly acted for Emirates Airlines, Air Arabia, Swissair and Singapore Airlines, among others. The "excellent" Yazan Al Saoudi, whose broad base of experience encompasses contentious and non-contentious matters for major local and international airlines, represents the firm in this chapter.
Allen & Overy's Abu Dhabi office was opened last year and has already established an impressive aviation record, including when it acted for Mubadala Development Company on the US$150 million acquisition of a large aviation company. Francois Duquette was highly nominated in this chapter, with his extensive corporate and financial experience and numerous energy clients adding to his expertise in the aviation sector.
Owain Jones's aviation practice covers asset finance and regulatory work for banks, airlines, ground service companies and manufacturers. A partner in Denton Wilde Sapte LLP's Abu Dhabi office and "an essential inclusion" in this chapter, Jones counts Air Canada and Lan Chile among his recent clients in export-credit deals.
The "outstanding" Bob Charlton is head of the Middle East finance practice and co-founder of the Saudi practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Maintaining offices in London and Dubai, Charlton recently advised Arcapita on the first shariah-compliant Islamically financed aircraft investment fund, which comprised leases to British Airways, Air Canada and BritAir.