Laurent Chassot
Partner, PhD, LLM (Air & Space)
Laurent established and leads the firm's Geneva office. His practice is focused on aviation, transport and insurance law, cross-border litigation and debt enforcement.
He has advised airlines, aircraft owners, insurers and financiers on a broad range of air law issues for more than a decade. A significant part of his practice is dedicated to handling and litigating complex claims following aircraft accidents (defence and subrogation). He has, as a result, developed excellent experience in the technical side of such matters. On the non-contentious side, Laurent regularly advises his clients on all types of contracts relating to the acquisition, operation and maintenance of aircraft, in particular business aircraft, as well as on commercial agreements of the airline industry. He is also very active in the field of aviation regulations, with specific expertise in traffic rights and operating licences. He is listed in The Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal as a leading aviation practitioner for Switzerland.
Beside aviation, Laurent assists various trading and shipping clients, mostly in contentious matters.
Laurent holds an LLM in air and space law from McGill University and a PhD from the University of Bern. His doctoral thesis on the Montreal Convention 1999 has been published as a book and awarded the Prof. Walther Hug Price. Laurent is an air law instructor at the IATA Training and Development Institute (ITDI). He regularly speaks at conferences and publishes on various air law topics.
Laurent works in French, English and German.
In his free time, he enjoys flying as a private pilot.
Publication02.02.2022
L2B Aviation - International Aircraft Registration Guide
Contribution of Swiss Chapter in L2B Aviation - International Aircraft Registration Guide.
Publication31.01.2021
Le droit aérien au temps de la pandémie
Article publié dans le Bulletin ASDA
N° 152 2020
Presentation25.01.2020
Haftungsrechtliche Entwicklungen im Luftrecht
Neue Entwicklungen im Luftrecht, 23. Seminar, Universität Bern
Aircraft Leasing
Acted as Swiss counsel to an international leasing company for the leasing of two Embraer E190 aircraft
Space law regulation
Established comprehensive comparative space law study for a government space agency.
Credit insurance
Advising credit insurers in a complex leasing structure in connection with aircraft non-payment insurance policies.
Expert opinion on applicable passenger protection regulations in Switzerland
Issued an expert opinion in foreign court proceedings issued by an airline attempting to recover the compensation paid to passengers as a result of its aircraft having been damaged on the ground.
Drone manufacturing regulations
Advised the manufacturer of drones used on state missions regarding the applicable manufacturing/certification standards.
Passenger Claims
Handling passenger claims for an airline client (flight cancellation in the Covid 19 context).
Expert Opinion on sovereign immunity of airports as a result of international air law
Issued an expert opinion in court proceedings regarding the seizure of airport and air navigation service charges collected by IATA on behalf of a state.
Aircraft Purchase
Comprehensively advised a HNWI on purchase, financing and operation of a Gulfstream G500 aircraft.
Aircraft Attachment
Attachment of two corporate aircraft to secure claims arising out of a commercial dispute.
Sanctions, etc.
Advised an aviation manufacturer on various issues relating to sanctions, anti-money laundering and competition regulations.
Aviation Contracts
Advised an aviation manufacturer on the drafting of various contract templates for supplier and customer relationships in the defence industry.
Conditions of Carriage
Drafted conditions of carriage and other GTC for a business aviation client.
Aircraft Insurance Claim
Advice to an aviation insurer on denial of coverage due to illegal aircraft operation.
Air Operations
Advice to a foreign airline on the taking-up of Swiss operations (including AOC application process and traffic rights).
Aviation insurance policies
Advised an insurer on the wording and the regulatory implications of its aviation policies.
Aircraft lien
Assisted an ambulance aircraft operator in connection with a threatened lien for allegedly not having paid fuel charges.
Passenger claims
Defended airlines and their insurers against passenger claims arising out of various incidents, including claims based on EU261.
Online sales of travel packages
Advised an airline on the regulatory requirements for the online sales of travel packages.
General aviation accidents
Defended carriers and their insurers against claims by passengers and relatives.
Gold vanished in the air
Represented liability insurer in litigation following the theft of gold cargo during its carriage by air.
Traffic rights in non-scheduled operations
Advised an operator on traffic rights requirements for the non-scheduled commercial operation of a business jet fleet.
Gulfstream 650ER
Advised a bank on security to be granted by the borrower for the
re-financing of the aircraft.
B787 Dreamliner fire
Advised the insurers of a Swiss-based aircraft part manufacturer, on liability and procedural issues arising out of the fire of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (USD 42M loss).
Refinancing of a business jet
We advised a Swiss bank on the refinancing of a business jet. In particular, we drafted and negotiated all contractual documents.
Online flight sales
We advised an airline on the regulatory requirements applicable to the online sales of flights and travel packages.
Airline strategic alliance
We assisted two airlines on the competition law self-assessment of a strategic alliance, which included in particular a code-share agreement.
Purchase of an Agusta AW139
We advised a company on the purchase of an Agusta AW139 helicopter. We were, in particular, involved in reviewing and negotiating the aircraft purchase agreement, and clarifying related VAT-issues.
Purchase of a Falcon Dassault 900LX
We advised a client on the purchase of Falcon Dassault 900LX Jet, including reviewing and negotiating the aircraft purchase agreement.
Purchase of a Bombardier Global 6000
We advised a company on the purchase of a Bombardier Global 6000 Jet, including reviewing and negotiating the aircraft purchase agreement.
BBJ Sale
We advised a family office on the sale of a Boeing Business Jet.