Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or, colloquially, drones) are increasingly being integrated into supply chains. ...more
In today’s high-stakes economy, logistics is no longer a forgotten back-end function — it’s a front-line competitive advantage. As global supply chains grow increasingly complex and consumers demand faster delivery times, the...more
The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) aviation consumer protection regulations may once again face scrutiny and be rolled back under the new Trump Administration—just as they were during Trump’s first Administration. There...more
The limitation of liability for cargo that is lost or damaged during international air transportation will increase on December 28, 2024, from 22 Special Drawing Rights (“SDRs”) per kilogram to 26 SDRs per kilogram....more
In a recent advisory opinion following the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) referral, the National Mediation Board (NMB) ruled on whether the Railway Labor Act (RLA) applies to Swissport Cargo Services, LP, a...more
We are now in the era of freedom of contract in the logistics arena. While contracts provide many protections to contracting parties, they can also be used offensively, to affirmatively protect legal rights. There are many...more
Service providers fulfill a range of lesser-known regulated activities to accomplish international and air cargo movements. Some of the less frequently utilized roles available under U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)...more
As federal regulators have recently made clear, steamship lines, non-vessel-operating common carriers, indirect air carriers, freight forwarders, and others involved in the global movement of cargo must ensure that their...more
On February 2, 2023, Mexican President López Obrador published an executive order in the Federal Official Gazette establishing the closure of Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport ("AICM") for the operations of...more
The US Supreme Court has held that airline cargo loaders who load and unload cargo from planes that travel across state lines are exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) because they belong to a “class of workers...more
The Bass, Berry & Sims international trade team is actively monitoring the situation in Russia and Ukraine and providing real-time advice to clients on managing the situation. This post summarizes new U.S. sanctions and...more
In late April 2022, the US imposed additional sanctions targeting Russia's shipping industry, as well as individuals and entities determined to be facilitating the evasion of US sanctions on Russia. These measures included a...more
With record air cargo demand showing no signs of slowing, it is no surprise that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is focused on reviewing and enhancing aviation security measures for this essential element of...more
For airlines and airports regulated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), aviation security nomenclature is rife with acronyms: airline passengers pass through ASLs (automated screening lanes) every day,...more
Visa is “abandoning its $5.3 billion planned acquisition of Plaid Inc.,” a fintech startup that the DOJ had called an upstart “but important competitive threat to Visa” in its antitrust lawsuit challenging the deal....more
The global pandemic caused by Covid-19 is a severe and unprecedented challenge for the aviation industry. As widespread travel restrictions have been implemented, global demand for passenger air travel has plummeted....more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued guidance to airlines wishing to transport cargo in the passenger cabin given reduced passenger demand in the wake of COVID-19. Under 14 C.F.R. § 121.285, airlines may carry...more
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently published a request for information (RFI) soliciting input from the air cargo industry regarding new international screening standards for air cargo....more
...On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Whip James Clyburn, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, and Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone held a press conference on a...more
The new CARES Act provides Treasury with the authority to make loans, guarantees and other investments, and provide grants for payroll assistance to the aviation industry. On March 30, 2020, the Treasury released guidelines...more
Both the speed of business disruption and depth of uncertainty created by COVID-19 have been unparalleled in our experience. Developments over the past week alone have emerged at an exponential rate and have impacted every...more
With the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, the "Coronavirus") spreads globally at alarming speed some countries have responded to the crisis by taking measures such as restricting or denying importation from China and requiring...more
Last week, Italian authorities extradited the former senior vice president of Cargo Sales and Marketing with Martinair Cargo, Maria Christina Ullings. Italian authorities apprehended Ullings, a Dutch national, visiting Sicily...more
The latest extradition of a foreign executive highlights ongoing efforts by the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division to arrest foreign executives abroad in order to face charges in the United States....more
The Antitrust Division (Division) announced Monday that Maria Christina "Meta" Ullings, a Dutch national and former executive for Martinair Holland N.V., was extradited from Italy to the United States after being apprehended...more