Aviation and Transportation

Stek is one of the few Dutch law firms with a comprehensive aviation practice. Whether you are an airline, an aircraft leasing company, a financier, a business jet owner, or a maintenance provider, our Aviation and Transportation team is committed to serving your needs. The team also advises a wide range of clients in other transport sectors, including rail, public transport, and shipping, representing them in court and working on their behalf with regulators and policymakers.

Our team

Gerben Smit

Gerben Smit

Jeroen Timmermans

Jeroen Timmermans

Kersten  Wierda

Kersten Wierda

The lawyers are “extraordinarily responsive, business-minded and good to work with,” and they offer “outstanding Dutch market knowledge.

Chambers Europe 2020 - Transportation

Expertise

What we do

Aviation is one of Stek’s key strengths. Stek’s aviation expertise covers the entire national and international aviation market, ranging from aircraft transactions, financing, and corporate advice to competition law, regulatory issues, and litigation. The firm prides itself on having a team of top lawyers with in-depth legal and industry expertise, commercial awareness, and a pragmatic, personal approach.

Our Aviation and Transportation team specialises in international transactions around the lease, acquisition, sale, and financing of both commercially operated aircraft and business jets. We also help our clients with aircraft repossessions and passenger rights claims and advise on other aviation contracts and issues. Our team has specialist expertise in aviation-specific competition and regulatory issues and litigation, including slot allocation and litigation against Schiphol Airport and ACNL, the Dutch slot coordinator.

What makes us different

Hallmarks of our team include:

  • expertise in a wide range of disciplines;
  • years of experience in the aviation and transport sector;
  • short lines of communication, responsiveness, and consistent partner involvement;
  • decisive, individual, expert advice that always puts your success first; and
  • outstanding, accessible quality at competitive rates.

Publications

Every year, Stek authors the Netherlands Chapter of Getting the Deal Through – Air Transport, which covers important aviation issues and provides first-step advice from local experts in key jurisdictions. Click here to read the 2021 version.

Stek also authors the Netherlands Chapter of Getting the Deal Through – Aviation Finance & Leasing, which provides local insight into the most pressing questions  around aircraft financing and leasing. Aviation Finance & Leasing is penned by international experts and features the latest developments in developed and emerging markets and answers questions around aircraft registration and title transfer, mortgages, securities and enforcement for lease terminations, related taxes and international payment restrictions, insurance and reinsurance. Click here to read the 2023 version.

Recognitions

The latest edition of the international legal guide of Chambers Europe (Transportation: Aviation) and the Legal500 EMEA guide (Transport) both recommend the firm and our lawyers individually.

Experience

You will find an overview of the Aviation and Transport Team’s recent cases below. Please feel free to take a look at our track record, as well, for a more extensive overview.

  • Advising Dutch regional aircraft leasing company TrueNoord on the purchase and financing of several ATR and Embraer aircraft.
  • Advising Dutch aircraft leasing company Mass Lease on the purchase of six Fokker 100 aircraft from Portuguese operator Portugália.
  • Advising Japanese listed company FinTech Global Trading Incorporated on their acquisition from Seabury Capital LLC of a 51% voting interest and 44.1% economic interest in SGI Aviation Services, an independent advisor to the aviation industry that provides aircraft and engine asset management, as well as technical consulting and advisory services.
  • Representing Corendon Dutch Airlines in a range of legal proceedings before various courts against ACNL, the Dutch slot coordinator, and Schiphol Airport and with Dutch policymakers and the European Commission.
  • Representing Polar Air Cargo LLC in third-party indemnification proceedings brought by BA, KLM, Martinair, Air France, Lufthansa, and Thai Airways in civil damages claim proceedings in the Netherlands related to alleged cartels in the air cargo industry.
  • Representing Transavia before the General Court of the European Union in a state aid case around Transavia’s operations at Pau Airport in France.
  • Advising Connexxion on a range of corporate, commercial, competition law, and litigation issues.
  • Representing several towage companies in antitrust investigations.

Want to know more?

Would you like to know more about how we can help you? If so, please contact:

Track record

Panta Holdings acquires Fokker Services and Fokker Techniek

Investment company Panta Holdings acquired Fokker Services B.V. and Fokker Techniek B.V. from Fokker Technologies/GKN Aerospace. Click here to see the …

Stek advises ING Corporate Investments and Nunner Logistics

ING Corporate Investments, ING’s investment division, has acquired a stake in logistics service provider Nunner Logistics. Nunner Logistics is an …

Stek advises Corendon Holiday Group on the envisaged sale of the tour operator and Dutch airline Corendon to Triton

The Swedish investment firm Triton and Corendon Holiday Group have reached preliminary agreement on the sale and transfer of all …