This article is an overview of recent developments in aviation law. Areas of concentration include the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, and the Warsaw and Montreal Conventions, among many others. Brief synopses of pertinent cases and their dispositions are classified according to their subject matter and relation to major areas of aviation law.

This article discusses the evolution of the commercial airline industry in the United States, focusing on the interaction and co-evolution of aircraft technology and airline markets, and on the relationship between innovation and competition in the aircraft market and the airline market. The first part discusses how the aircraft and airline markets appeared to be locked into dominant positions during the 1990s. The rest of the article, however, discusses how the short-haul, medium-haul low-cost, and long-haul revolutions subsequently altered this dominant framework. Finally, the author explores possibilities for future potential disruptions in the aircraft and airline markets.

A business even partially owned by a non-U.S. person or entity wishing to lease or provide debt financing for an aircraft in the United States can face many hurdles. Often, the principal hurdle is the requirement that an aircraft registered in the United States be registered in the name of a U.S. citizen. This Article discusses issues facing an aircraft owner, lessor and/or secured lender that is partially or wholly owned by a non-U.S. person or entity, and options for overcoming those hurdles. This Article was developed from research and analysis conducted for a U.S. subsidiary of a foreign bank, facing just this situation as part of its ongoing business. I have also counseled non-financial institutions that wished to lease or lend against an airplane in special, non-recurring situations. Accordingly, this Article should interest and benefit many readers.