AWG commences work on cross-border transferability practitioners’ guide

Building on 10 years of work with the industry, regulators, and international organizations, AWG will commence work (feasibility and content) on a practitioners’ guide on the cross-border transferability of aircraft (guide).  The guide would bring together, develop, advance, and seek to secure recognition of, best practices when changing aircraft nationality (XBT), including in fleet changes in the context of C-19 return to service. It would also address calendar age-based restrictions relating to changes of nationality. The reference standard for such best practices would be rules and guidance issued or given by ICAO, FAA, and EASA. The guide would refer to such standards and rules and differences between them. It would also, over time, add country-specific annotations to its transfer document checklist for many other aviation countries around the world and would summarize requirements, interpretations, and lessons learned in such countries.

The guide would be designed for use by industry in XBT activities, especially day-to-day transfers and regulatory interfaces.

AWG has retained Blake, Cassels & Graydon to provide support over the next year for its work on the guide.

Statement on airline restructuring principles

In response to the disruption to air transport caused by COVID 19, AWG issues a statement on guiding principles which it recommends to materially enhance the prospects for a successful airline restructuring. That statement has been prepared by AWG as an elective guidance tool.

AWG carbon calculator (ESG)

AWG has agreed to finalize the AWG carbon calculator (ACC). It is scheduled for release by the end of Q1, 2021.  Based on manufacturer data, the ACC will calculate emission of aircraft and fleet portfolios. It will do so based on standard aircraft configurations, typical utilization and stage lengths.  The tool will make use of standardized data, analyzed under consistent methodology.

The ACC will be developed by propel-ant, and AWG will be supported in its implementation by Watson Farley Williams. The ACC is part of AWG’s work on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG), geared to the context of aviation financing and leasing.

Accelerated development of the trusted communication facility

AWG is pleased to announce the accelerated development of the trusted communication facility (TCF). Attached is the joint statement on TCF released by AWG and Aviareto.

The TCF will be an online platform to support the aviation industry as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the TCF system will enable faster, more efficient and cheaper return to service for aircraft while maintaining highest levels of safety. It will be centred on documentation relating to airworthiness requirements.

The TCF will permit regulators and industry participants to exchange, digitally sign and execute electronic documents to facilitate the return to service of aircraft.

Presentation on global AWG activities

AWG gave a panel presentation on its global activities (including c-19, airline structuring principles, legal stability, ESG, return to service, GATS, and export credit) at the Airline Economics (virtual) event in Hong Kong on 4 November 2020

New edition of the practitioner’s guide to the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol

On 12 October 2020, the legal advisory panel of AWG released the 2020 new edition of the practitioner’s guide to the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol 

AWG releases 2020 semiannual update of the CTC compliance index

AWG releases 2020 semiannual update of the CTC compliance index as of 7 September 2020

Cross-border insolvencies and the Cape Town Convention

Clarity provided on select aspects of the relationship between cross-border insolvencies and Cape Town Convention through annotation 2 to the Official Commentary issued by the CTC academic project

Voluntary reorganizations and the Cape Town Convention

Clarity provided on relationship between voluntary reorganizations and Cape Town Convention through annotation 1 to the Official Commentary issued by the CTC academic project

COVID 19 related action

AWG, in consultation with other affected parties, has since March 2020 taken a range of actions to assist the air transport sector, including airlines, the aviation leasing and financing industry, and the public, in addressing the economic impacts of the spread of COVID 19

The Global Aircraft Trading System (GATS) platform went live on 1 June 2020

The Global Aircraft Trading System (GATS) platform went live on 1 June 2020