Aviation & Super Yacht Law
Our expertise, grounded by years of experience, allows us to advise on a wide range of legal matters surrounding acquiring and managing clients’ luxury assets.
We regularly support our clients across the entire yacht and private aviation purchase and ownership process, including drafting and negotiating sale and purchase agreements and management agreements, to the importation across various jurisdictions including Europe, Asia and Middle East. Alongside this, our team are also skilled in providing bespoke solutions to various complexities involved within the sale process, including:
- Coordinating pre-purchase surveys and inspections
- Advising on ownership structures, financing, and registration
- Resolving any arising disputes
- Managing ancillary documentation
We regularly work with internationally mobile and globally based clients to deliver tailored solutions on a range of diverse matters surrounding their luxury yachts, private jets, and helicopter assets and are highly adept in advising on the relevant legal and tax framework within which our clients operate.
We provide holistic advice to our clients as long-term trusted advisors, where we work seamlessly with advisors from across our private client and tax, family and corporate and commercial teams to provide long-term succession planning advice on both contentious and non-contentious luxury asset matters.
Our Recent Experience:
- Advising on the sale and purchase of a number of business and private jets including drafting, negotiating and settling the purchase agreement
- Advising on the restructuring of the ownership of a super yacht, including advice in relation to its private and commercial charter use, and importation into the EU for use in the Mediterranean
- Advising on the purchase of a super yacht, including agreement and completion of the build process, the ownership structure, crew arrangements and advice in relation to the use of the yacht for its use as a commercial charter yacht
Recommended reading
Senior Partner, Andrea Zavos will speak at the Trusts and Estates Litigation Forum on a panel exploring the evolving challenges facing trustees during periods of uncertainty. The session will highlight key emerging risks – including criminal investigations, privacy issues, governance failures and recent contentious decisions in Guernsey and Liechtenstein. She will be joined by Basil Zirinis, Johannes Gasser and Simon Davies.
Read more 28 Jan 2026 Leaving a lasting impact: The adviser’s role in guiding clients toward meaningful legaciesIn her guest blog for Remember A Charity, Private Wealth Partner Clare Stirzaker reflects on how philanthropy is becoming an increasingly thoughtful part of wealth planning. She shows how advisers now help clients frame their values and long‑term intentions, moving beyond a purely technical approach. Clare also emphasises that impactful giving relies on coordinated thinking across the advisory landscape, where legal, financial and investment professionals work together to support clients in shaping purposeful, well‑rounded legacy plans.
Read more 06 Jan 2026 Confirmation of £2.5m IHT relief threshold for farmers and businessesThe Finance Bill published yesterday confirms that, as we highlighted in our 23 December briefing, the increased £2.5m inheritance tax relief for agricultural and business property will apply from 6 April 2026. Qualifying ‘relevant property’ trusts can also benefit from 100% relief up to this threshold, aligning trustee allowances with individual transfers.
Read more 23 Dec 2025 Breaking news on IHT reformIn a welcome announcement for farmers and business owners, the government has confirmed an increase to the 100% IHT relief allowance to £2.5m per person from April 2026. Partner and Head of Private Wealth, Hayden Bailey and Legal Director, Emma Haley comment on what this means in practice and stress that now may be the right time to review wills and succession planning.
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