Canada
The Wicks Group has been assisting a Canadian passenger and air cargo carrier with a variety of regulatory and commercial matters over several years. We also regularly help foreign air carriers obtain Canadian permits and authorities for flights into and out of Canada.
United States
The firm serves a diverse group of clients in the United States, including passenger and air cargo carriers, airports, airport service providers, and hazardous materials shippers and transporters as well as several different offices within the U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA. Our scope of services in the United States includes extensive regulatory and commercial transaction work as well as aircraft finance work, pre-litigation support for a major aircraft manufacturer, enforcement action resolution, immigration-related visa matters, and other matters.
Trinidad and Tobago
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago hired TWG to assess the legal and regulatory constraints and opportunities presented by Trinidad and Tobago law and regulations, relevant international agreements, current route right granting practices, and international safety standards for the development of an effective regional airline. We completed our review in a timely manner and provided the government with specific recommendations for revising their economic licensing regulations to reflect the country’s current policies and priorities and to meet international standards and norms.
We also offered the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago recommendations regarding its safety oversight and certification framework, the need to recertify its national flag carrier (BWIA West Indies Airways) as part of an effort to gain Category One status with the FAA, and the efficacy of various multilateral and bilateral agreements to which it is a party.
As a result of our successful completion of this project, TWG was hired by BWIA West Indies Airways to provide management and technical assistance with a full recertification process due to the issuance of new civil aviation regulations. In addition to providing project management guidance to the air carrier, TWG had a team of technical consultants and writers working intensively with client management to complete more than 25 technical documents and manuals. TWG personnel worked around the clock to ensure that BWIA’s goal of recertification was met by the statutory deadline. In fact, recertification of the airline by the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (with FAA oversight) was accomplished within a one-year period.
As a result of the success of our work on the BWIA West Indies Airways recertification project, we were retained by another Trinidad and Tobago carrier, Tobago Express, to develop an Operations Manual in support of its recertification process. We initially met with Tobago Express staff and stakeholders to collect their requirements for the project. We then prepared an initial draft of the Operations Manual for review by the stakeholders. After several revisions and close work with Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Administration officials, the final manual was produced and approved by the appropriate parties.
United Kingdom
The firm has provided regulatory and operations support to the United Kingdom affiliate of a major cargo airline. We also have provided commercial transaction support to an airport management company regarding sites in the United Kingdom.
Spain
The Wicks Group has represented a Spanish passenger airline for several years. We have provided the airline with a variety of commercial transaction services during that time.
Azerbaijan
The Wicks Group conducted a multi-part project for the civil aviation authority of this country to assess its readiness for a U.S. FAA /IASA audit. We also provided related consulting services to the country’s flagship carrier, Silkway Airlines. Our staff conducted a pre-inspection audit that identified areas of relative strength and weakness with respect to the ICAO requirements that underlie such audits and produced a checklist of likely audit discrepancies. We also developed detailed recommendations for the government and airline on how best to address the areas of discrepancy, with a particular focus on compliance with ICAO Annexes 1, 6, and 8.
Russia
Russian firms and organizations make up the majority of our firm’s foreign clients. The Wicks Group has represented multiple Russian passenger and air cargo carriers for many years. These carriers typically have obtained an array of business strategic planning and marketing support, regulatory process, commercial transaction, and immigration/visa services from the firm. An example is a large Russia cargo airline that was able to develop an extensive business at the U.S. Air Mobility Command with our assistance and to which we provide significant operations support, regulatory, and commercial transaction services. We also have assisted Russian companies, including a major gas and oil company, in obtaining the necessary authorities to operate their corporate aircraft into the U.S. In addition, we have provided advice to the Russian delegation in several U.S.-Russia bilateral treaty negotiations.
Ukraine
The Wicks Group represents a major Ukrainian flag carrier. We provide legal and regulatory support for its operations in the U.S., including obtaining necessary U.S. certifications and approvals for flights into and out of the U.S. market.
Uzbekistan
Our firm provided regulatory services to an Uzbeki air carrier that was setting up U.S. operations under an Open Skies agreement. We assisted the air carrier with obtaining its start-up certifications and approvals and now provide ongoing regulatory support for its U.S. operations.
Cape Verde
As the sole legal consultant to the FAA’s “Safe Skies for Africa” program in Cape Verde, The Wicks Group lead the process of adapting the ICAO Model Civil Aviation Legislation and Regulations for use by the Cape Verde civil aviation authority. Our staff adapted the provisions to be appropriate for Cape Verde, integrated those materials with FAR and JAR standards, and tailored them to meet the particular needs of Cape Verde’s civil aviation environment. Our staff also participated actively in the drafting of extensive technical guidance materials for Cape Verde.
As a result of our project work, Cape Verde’s revised civil aviation program and structure was determined by the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Program to be 97 percent compliant with ICAO standards. Cape Verde also was awarded FAA Category One Status as a result of our project.
Kenya
The Wicks Group completed a regulatory development/revision project for the Kenyan civil aviation authority as part of the FAA “Safe Skies for Africa” program. We began by performing a baseline review of existing civil aviation laws and regulations and existing resources in Kenya. We then prepared a comparison of the status quo in Kenya against international standards and recommended practices. From this, we made recommendations for changes to the existing aviation laws and regulations in Kenya.
Based on our recommendations and on meetings with stakeholders, we prepared and produced numerous drafts of the regulations for Kenya pursuant within a very tight project timeframe. After each draft, we met with stakeholders to discuss the changes made since the last draft and to collect suggestions for modifications going forward. We consistently met and exceeded stakeholder expectations for efficiency and quality of output. Our final deliverable for Kenya was a set of ICAO-compliant aviation regulations, which was delivered on-time.
Kuwait
Our firm represents a Kuwaiti company that operates charter passenger services. Our assistance has encompassed both regulatory work and commercial transactions.
Saudi Arabia
The Wicks Group has completed two projects for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and also has provided legal services to several Saudi Arabia-based companies operating private or corporate jets.
The first GACA project was to develop aviation sector economic licensing regulations that would meet both international standards and Saudi Arabian strategic goals. We completed our work on a compressed schedule due to delays in the launch of the project by the Kingdom. Our work began with a kick-off meeting in which the Kingdom stakeholders explained their vision and goals for aviation-sector liberalization. Our first deliverable on the project involved conducting an international comparative survey of economic regulatory models. With that in hand and the Kingdom’s strategic goals in mind, we made recommendations to a working group of stakeholders as to the most appropriate economic licensing model for the Kingdom. We then prepared a complete draft of economic licensing regulations, and facilitated a series of working group review meetings. As the meetings progressed, we produced several revised versions of the draft regulations until the final version met with the approval of all stakeholders, and was officially adopted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2006.
Our second GACA project was to prepare the “Invitation to Submit Application” package that was to be completed by air carriers seeking economic licenses from the Kingdom under the new regulations. This project included organizing and attending various working group meetings and drafting the Invitation and ancillary documents. We also made recommendations on procedural matters related to the solicitation of domestic carrier proposals. We also supported government decision makers in evaluating the applications received. We reviewed the applications, prepared comparative tools for assessing applicants, and assisted the government in preparing a Record of Decision for the award of new economic licenses.
For the Saudi companies operating private or corporate jets, our services have focused primarily on securing for them the necessary certifications and approvals for flights to and from the U.S.
Japan
The Wicks Group provided the Japan International Transport Institute (an affiliate of the Japanese Transport Ministry) with consulting services related to private investment in U.S. airports. |
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