After an uncertain beginning and three decades of developments and investments, airport services and airport operators have finally been recognized by the international civil aviation community. Across the five continents - but in particular in Latin America - the transition from airports representing merely an infrastructure cost to providers being responsible for essential services, not only for airlines, but also for passengers, meeters & greeters, visitors, workers, neighbours, etc. has been full of challenges many, but by no means all, of which have been faced and, to a greater or lesser extent, addressed.

This airport evolution (some might say revolution) has been essential for the development of the aviation business. That said, airports have gone further and applied many safety and security improvements together with various other changes which have been targeted at improving the customer experience and enhancing tourism, improving the environmental impact of airports and enhancing the passenger's airport experience. In short, airport operators have assumed an almost transcendental role in the building of the current as well as the future designs and framework of the civil international aviation industry. Since 1996, from the Rio Bravo (Mexico) to Ushuaia (Argentina) everybody who traveled across Latin America will have borne witness to the vast improvement made in the quality of services rendered.

Notwithstanding the growing importance of and role which airports are playing in the Latin American and, indeed, the global, aviation market, many feel that traditional air law and jurisprudence has worked as an obstacle for the growth in development in this sector. Many lawyers in Latin America believe that airports - and the role which they play in the aviation industry - need to be recognized more fully by national and international law regimes. Arguably, this is the case not only in Latin America, but worldwide.

One of the main purposes of the WALA conferences is to raise awareness of the importance which the airport plays in the aviation sector and in ensuring the success of this market sector. Our next VII Conference will be a great opportunity for discussing and debating how we, as lawyers working for, with and alongside airports and the other major players in the aviation sector might help to improve the jurisprudence and profile of airport law.

We at WALA have been working on this since 2007 and we will continue to focus on that in Buenos Aires this year.

We would be delighted if you joined us!

(*) About WALA
WALA (Worldwide Airport Lawyers Associations) was established in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 2007, where destiny gathered lawyers from airport operators in different countries worldwide. At that moment the attending delegates agreed about the fact that air/aeronautical law in each of their countries was outdated to face the new reality of airport service and operation, which required specialized legal knowledge. Consequently they agreed about the need to create and promote worldwide a forum, a meeting place in which airport lawyers and all others that might be interested can develop, share and debate relevant issues in their field of law. Seven months later WALA became a reality with the first edition of the conference taking place in Spain.

Download this PDF file (6 pages) to see a complete overview of WALA by ICLG

2013-2014 WALA Authorities:

Executive Board members
• Diego Gonzalez, AA2000, WALA President, Argentina
• Ilona Crommentuyn, Schiphol Group (WALA Vice President), The Netherlands
• Alan Meneghetti, Locke Lord LLP, United Kingdom
• Michael Siebold, Arnecke Siebold, Germany
• Elizabeth Henderson, Sydney Airport, Australia
• Brian Day, Barrister & Solicitor, Canada
• Fernando Osorio, Osorio-Fernandes-Mariz- Assed, Brazil
• Carlos Roriguez Brianza, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Executive Secretary), Uruguay

Non executive board members
• Louise Ouellet, Aeroports de Montreal, Canada
• Fernando Ocampo, Odebrecht, Peru
• Ante Matijaca, Split Airport, Croatia
• Wahyuni Bahar, Bahar & Partners, Indonesia
• Fons Essed, Aruba Airport Authority, Aruba
• Rosa Orenstein, Sullivan & Holston, USA
• Arlene Oei, Changi Airport, Singapore
• Manuel de la Torre Melendez, President of Mexican Airport Law Association, Mexico.

EZEIZA

 

New Terminal EZE

 

New Terminal AEP