consequence, the aircraft sustained serious damage in the emergency landing which followed. The resulting arbitration award held the pilot responsible for the cost of repairs to the aircraft and for the loss of rental income. The Axten team has also worked on light aircraft, airliner and helicopter engineering cases, together with aircraft and jet engine leasing disputes. Many airlines face post-pandemic financial problems, and leasing disputes in particular are on the rise. Many airliners are not owned by the airlines which operate them; instead, the aircraft are owned by leasing companies. When leases end, these aircraft return to the leasing companies and are subject to detailed inspection of both the aircraft and its related documentation. An airliner contains a number of ‘lifed’ parts, each carrying a document record dating back to its original manufacture. Missing documentation can render the ‘lifed’ part unusable and requiring replacement – at costs which can reach several million dollars. We were involved in a case where two Airbus aircraft returned from an airline with missing documents, which prevented the aircraft from being sent out again on lease. The case concluded with a large financial settlement. I have also been involved in a number of airfield planning cases. These have usually involved housing or other developments close to existing airfields. A case from last year involved planning permission for an agricultural building which had been refused due to its proximity to a grass airfield. As a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, I have access to extensive aviation archives, and by 86 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | APR 2022 EXPERT WITNESS delving into the historical records I was able to demonstrate that the airfield was not listed for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning Order. Therefore the appeal was successful, planning permission was granted, and the grain shed was duly built! How is the information that you provide crucial to the outcomes of these disputes? Aviation is a complex field, and many legal Many airlines face post-pandemic financial problems, and leasing disputes in particular are on the rise
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