Navigate complex FAA obligations to protect critical airport funding, maintain strict regulatory compliance, and strategically resolve administrative disputes.
Airport law sits at the intersection of federal aviation regulation, administrative law, contract, and land use, requiring practitioners to navigate a highly specialised framework that governs how airports are operated, developed, and regulated. At its core is the FAA grant assurance regime, which imposes long-term, enforceable obligations on federally obligated airports and shapes everything from airport management decisions to commercial activity. These obligations are interpreted and enforced through distinctive administrative processes, including Parts 13 and 16 proceedings, which form the backbone of dispute resolution in this field.
This session provides a practical overview of the key legal and regulatory issues in airport practice, including grant assurance compliance, lease and concession arrangements, airspace protection, environmental considerations, and land use controls. Designed for attorneys and airport professionals, it focuses on how these rules operate in practice, equipping participants with a working understanding of sponsor obligations, user rights, and the mechanisms through which airport-related disputes are resolved.
Key Topics Discussed:
Senior Attorney | Jetlaw, LLC
C. Edward (“Ed”) Young joined Jetlaw® in 2021. He advises the firm’s client on a wide range of airport and emerging technology/eVTOL/UAS matters. Ed represents airport sponsors and users on airspace and engineering projects, grant assurance compliance, concession and lease agreements, transition plans, constructing and permitting for temporary landing sites, and in resolving Part 13 and Part 16 disputes. Ed also represents clients in the emerging and advanced technology markets. He counsels eVTOL/AAM/UAS/Drone OEMs, operators, and users. His experience with the intersection of emerging technologies and regulation helps him to guide clients to practical, business-oriented solutions for their products and companies. Ed was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019. He served key roles in projects that resulted in two American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) national honors awards, two consecutive Kansas ACEC outstanding technical communication awards, an Association for Unmanned Vehicles System International (AUVSI) national award, an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Association’s President’s Award, a National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) most innovative program award, and the NASAO Center for Aviation Research and Education national outreach award. As Director of Aviation for the State of Kansas, Ed served as the State’s representative for airspace matters. He served as a liaison between Kansas’ public use airports and the Federal Aviation Administration, and he also served as director of state-based grant and compliance activities. He also previously served as a city and county administrator / county counselor and as a consultant for local governments on engineering and land use projects. Ed teaches Airport Environmental Planning and Airport Law at Kansas State University, Aviation Safety for Southeastern University, and he has taught finance, conflict resolution and procurement at the master’s level for various universities. Ed is a commercial pilot with a single engine land and sea rating, multi-engine land rating, and a certified flight instructor with instrument and multi-engine privileges. Ed received his B.A. from the University of Kansas in Latin American Studies and Sociology. He received his M.P.A. from the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration and his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. He holds a certificate in Airport Risk and Safety Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
