David Heffernan

Practice Areas

Member; chair, Transportation & Trade Practice Group; co-chair, Aviation Practice. Mr. Heffernan represents clients, including U.S. and foreign airlines (passenger and cargo), regarding regulatory/compliance matters, aviation-related corporate transactions and litigation matters, applications for economic/operating and code-share authority, and antitrust immunity. He advises clients on U.S. laws, regulations, and policies regarding: airline mergers, complex alliances and joint ventures, distribution issues, taxes/fees, airport access issues, including slot regulation, advertising and consumer protection, aviation security and competition policy, uncrewed aircraft (drones) and advanced air mobility (AAM)/air taxi service issues. He also advises clients on matters involving all U.S. government agencies that regulate the aviation industry, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (and its component agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection), and the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, he advises clients on legislative and governmental policy developments affecting the aviation industry, including major aviation-focused legislation such as FAA reauthorization. He also advises clients on international traffic rights, market access issues, and bilateral and multilateral aviation treaties and intergovernmental agreements.

Publications

Forbes.com, Law360.com contributor; formerly Editor-in-Chief, ABA's Air & Space Lawyer journal; co-editor, "Aviation Regulation in the United States" (ABA, 2014).

Education