Airports, Aircraft and Aviation Holland & Knight advises clients across the aviation industry and airports in all aspects of aviation regulation. Our Airports, Aircraft and Aviation practice in Mexico is led by Partners Luis Rubio Barnetche and Alejandro Landa along with Senior Counsel Selene Espinosa, who have significant experience in the aviation and airport sectors, where they maintain strong working relationships with relevant government regulatory agencies and the most important private investors in the industry. The team offers integrated commercial, government affairs and legal strategies to help clients achieve their business objectives. Our national and international experience in airline regulation is broad and comprehensive, as is the work we perform for airports and vendors supporting the industry.
Our practice includes, among others, the following capabilities: providing legal advice to the government and concessionaires and private investors in the construction and development of airports providing legal advice on aviation law matters in Mexico, including the obtainment of airport operation concessions negotiating airport lease agreements, obtaining slots and gates for new entrant airlines and advising on local licensing requirements and regulations handling enforcement inquiries from all government agencies and defending alleged violations of federal aviation regulations interpreting bilateral air service agreements and addressing disputes of route rights and access that may arise under such agreements drafting and negotiating comprehensive alliance agreements and airline joint ventures reviewing and drafting agreements with travel distribution companies providing advice on multicarrier agreements Prior to joining Holland & Knight, the team provided legal advice in connection with the finance loan portfolio for the development of the new international airport in Mexico City, advising on corporate and regulatory matters, legal structure and concession granting. The new airport requires an investment of US$12 billion, which was obtained in the first stage through governmental and private funding sources, and represented the largest initial offering in the history for an airport transaction obtaining Baa1, BBB+, BBB+ (Moody's, Standard & Poor's, Fitch) ratings, and GB1 by Moody's for a sustainable transaction. This offering is the first of its kind to obtain the highest grade for a Green Bond in Latin America. The new six-runway airport will have the capacity to handle more than 50 million passengers per year initially, and expand to reach 120 million passengers per year by 2060. In addition, the team offered day-to-day complete assessment on regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings, public works agreements and bids, work assessment agreements, and services related to the same, as well as counsel to members of the board of directors and
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committees of Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México, appointed as the public entity to represent the government in this project.
Other significant experience Represented the major airline company in Central America in drafting and negotiating the terms and conditions of a joint venture agreement entered into with major Mexican companies in the broadcasting, finance and banking sectors, under which our client would contribute, aside from its economic investment, with its expertise in the commercial airline sector to set up and operate a new low-cost Mexican airline company. Such work involved designing the investment vehicle and obtaining the required regulatory approvals, as well as the award of the required licenses to operate and provide services in Mexico. Also, we advised our client through and after the process of making the company go public, which shares are publicly traded in the Mexican and American securities markets. Currently, we continue representing our client's interests in such company Provided legal counsel for the incorporation and operation of one of the largest low-cost airlines in Mexico Served as lead counsel for the acquisition and operation of one of the largest air cargo companies operating in Mexico Advised one for the world's largest transportation and courier companies in its Mexican operations Advised on the operation, restructuring, and purchase of duty-free stores on a nationwide basis Advised Dufry in the public tender called by Mexico City International Airport operator to set up and open, in record time, a duty-free shop at Terminal 2 Advised the world's leading provider of inflight communications solutions regarding a government procurement project related to four airports in Mexico, including the sale, operation and technical support of border automation solutions involving ABC kiosks Counseled the Mexican government, and advised Mexican private airport concessionaires on regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings Represented a Colombian airline in the acquisition of a cargo airline Assisted clients on aviation law matters in Mexico, including obtaining airport operation concessions
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