Annual Conference 15–20 September 2024

Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City

Officers in attendance: Mansi Singh (Vice Chair), Sybille Rexer (Secretary), Philip Weissman (Treasurer), Neil Montgomery (Conference Quality Officer) and Alina Nassar (Diversity and Inclusion Officer).

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Sunday 15 September (1715–1845)

Keynote speaker: Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, Mexican economist and politician, 61st President of Mexico (1994–2000)

Zedillo spoke in his mother tongue Spanish (with an English translation shown on screen) about the importance of the rule of law. He made the rule of law out to be the key impediment to overcome for a country to achieve its full potential. That means indispensability of justice being delivered by competent and ethical and independent judges endowed with sufficient resources to make governments and citizens accountable under the law.

The social event after the ceremony at the conference venue was attended by officers.

Monday 16 September (1115–1230)

Chair: Phillip Weissman, New York, USA

Speakers: Thomas Canfield (Spirit Airlines, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA), Alina Nassar (IBA Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Nassar Abogados) and Xavier Rosales (Corral Rosales, Quito, Ecuador)

The panel discussed the legal and regulatory environment for airline mergers acquisitions in the Americas.  The panellists delved into the legal and regulatory hurdles to airline mergers and acquisitions and the guidelines used by regulators in determining whether to approve such transactions.  The panel discussion addressed the US government’s response to the proposed JetBlue–Spirit and Alaska–Hawaiian mergers and the Colombian government’s response to the proposed Avianca–Viva merger.

The Monday panel was well attended and moderated in a fireside chat format with Philip asking questions to the speakers. There were no presentations. All officers attended.

Tuesday 17 September (0900–1300)

Chair: Neil Montgomery, Montgomery Law Office, Sᾶo Paulo, Brazil

Speakers: Ernesto Gomez Pombo (Grupo Aeroméxico, Mexico City, Mexico) and Enrique Roman Chavez (Aeroméxico Fromación Director, Mexico City, Mexico)

The ALC offsite tour, organised by Conference Quality Officer Neil Montgomery, took more than 20 delegates attending the Annual Conference to Aeroméxico Formación, Aeroméxico’s training centre for pilots and flight attendants. The group was welcomed by the Aeroméxico legal team, including General Counsel Ernesto Gómez Pombo and Legal and Compliance Director Enrique Roman Chavez.

The two-hour tour involved visiting Aeroméxico’s offices and training facilities and included the opportunity for every delegate to take off and land a 737 B Max in Aeroméxico’s state-of-the-art flight simulators. Group photos were taken at the end of the tour and have been posted on the LinkedIn pages of Aviation Law Committee officers. Delegates were then returned to the Centro Citibanamex conference centre in time for lunch.

The feedback from the attendees was very positive. The tour was interesting and also interactive since all had the possibility to use the flight simulator.

All officers still present at the Annual Conference attended.

Wednesday 18 September (1115–1230)

Chairs: Carlos Sierra (Sierra Latam Abogados, Mexico City, Mexico) and Mansi Singh (BTG Advaya, Mumbai, India)

Speakers: Ernesto Gomez Pombo (Grupo Aeromexico, Mexico City, Mexico), Lilia Pous (Viva Aerobús, Mexico City, Mexico) and Jaime Esteban Pous (Volaris, Mexico City, Mexico)

This aviation roundtable discussion was led by industry experts and covered global trends in aviation, repercussions to the industry and developments in finance and leasing laws. The session was well attended with over 25 attendees and the topics discussed in detail included the impact on Mexican airlines of GTF engine issues and ongoing concerns with the Boeing 737 MAX, the future of airport infrastructure and airspace capacity in Mexico and the Cape Town Convention and related aspects.

All officers still attending the Annual Conference were present.

Wednesday 18 September (1330–1430)

Mansi Singh, Sybille Rexer, Neil Montgomery and Carlos Sierra presented the Aviation Law Committee to interested attendees. The open business meeting was well attended and many participants showed interest in the Committee, in particular delegates from Africa and China. All officers pointed out that there are various possibilities to be active in the Aviation Law Committee, for example publishing an article in the newsletter. Mansi invited interested attendees to present their candidature to vacant officer positions.

Wednesday 18 September (1430–1545)

Chairs: Sybille Rexer, (Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, Hamburg, Germany) and Serap Zuvin, (Cakmak, Istanbul, Turkey)

Speakers: Professor Vincent Correia, (Montreal, Canada), Lucy England (Fox Williams, London, England), Lyndsay Garnica (Mayday Aeromaritima, Mexico City, Mexico), Dr. Rodrigo Soto-Morales (Sotor Consulting and Legal Management, Mexico City, Mexico) and Eric Vallieres (McMillan, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

This international panel (from Canada, England, France, Germany, Mexico and Turkey) discussed major litigation involving aviation law issues in greenwashing cases. The speakers introduced their topics without presentations and moderating questions from Sybille led to a discussion between the speakers. The first focus was on a comparison of the new EU Greenwashing Regulation and Canadian/ US law. While in the past cases were dealt with under antitrust aspects, the new regulations and laws will be much more demanding for the industry and it is to be expected that class actions from consumer NGOs will follow. The panel also provided an update on airport liability issues related to the Crowdstrike event and cybersecurity aspects. The panel discussed the implication on insurance policies, which will need amendments. After introducing the topics, the speakers entered into a vivid discussion with the audience on a variety of topics of jurisprudential and societal interest, such as national security, cyber security, greenwashing and related practice areas such as space and shipping. The attendance was reasonably good after the Aviation Law Committee morning panel/lunch/open business meeting and all officers still present attended.

Wednesday 18 September (1930–2230)

The Committee had dinner in the magnificent Azul Condesa. The menu consisted of achiote-marinated grouper fish with plantains and avocado and beef fillet in chipotle sauce with roasted vegetables and potato puree, which was very well received by the attendees. Classic Mexican food and interesting talks made it a great evening for everyone and officers and guests stayed well after the dinner for drinks and chats, showing interest in getting more involved in the Aviation Law Committee.

VIP passes to attend the Aviation Law Committee dinner were granted to three guests. Further information on how to apply for a VIP pass will be provided by the Aviation Law Committee Chair or Vice Chair.

Thursday 19 September (1115–1230)

Chair: Gary Birnberg, Jams, Miami, Florida, USA

Speakers: Ximena Bustamante (Pactum Dispute Resolutions, Quito, Ecuador), Diego Faleck (Faleck & Associados, Saor Paolo, Brazil) and Jonathan Hamilton (Paul Hastings, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)

The $800bn aviation industry is a huge player in the global economy which, notoriously, lags behind other industries in its use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In a spirited conversation on the causes of this lag and the various measures being taken to encourage uptake in mediation throughout the industry, the speakers focused on several practice areas and industry sectors, including mass tort claims, contractual disputes regarding the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), leasing and financing, as well as the maintenance, repair and overhaul sectors.

The joint panel was organised by Joint Committee Liaison Officer Anna Masutti. Officers from other committees approached the Secretary, asking for joint panels in 2025 (to follow).

Social events

Mansi Singh, along with Carlos Sierra, invited officers, speakers and attendees to their firm’s exclusive and very well attended rooftop events. Both events served excellent food and drinks and Carlos’ event, to mark the 30th anniversary of his firm, was festive and with many guests in cocktail attire. Many thanks!

Officers also attended the Host Committee Reception at the modern Museo Rufino Tamayo. The host committee speech focused on the courageous approach of the IBA President on rule of law and democracy.