Biography • Aviation

Ulrich Steppler, LLM is the joint head of Arnecke Siebold's transportation, aviation and logistics (TAL) practice group based in Frankfurt, Germany. Arnecke Siebold is recognised as one of the market leaders in transport and aviation law. The firm also has offices in Berlin and Dresden.

Ulrich has over a decade of in-depth experience in the field of aviation law, focusing in particular on passenger air transportation. His client base is remarkably diverse, ranging from major national and international airlines, insurance companies and key players in the tourism industry to banks and owners of aircraft as well as other industry participants.

Ulrich advises on all issues in relation to aviation law and the spectrum of his work reflects the wide range of his clientele.

By way of example, Ulrich regularly represents clients in relation to aviation litigation before the German courts; for instance, in cases associated with aircraft accidents, disputes over ground handling, passenger and cargo claims or other general commercial litigation matters. He has also represented a multitude of cargo and passenger airlines in matters involving various authorities, including the German Civil Aviation Authority, the German Emissions Trading Authority, the Canadian Transportation Agency, the European Aviation Safety Agency, Air Traffic Control, DGMove and the US Department of Transportation. In addition, he and his team provide a complete claims handling service for well-known international carriers in Germany and for the Austrian market.

Furthermore, Ulrich frequently advises clients on regulatory issues, aircraft repossession, aircraft and aircraft mortgage registration and de-registration as well as on other aircraft financing matters. He has, for example, recently acted for banks/owners of aircraft in multi-jurisdictional, multimillion-dollar transactions regarding the acquisition/sale and registration process of various business jets. Ulrich and the firm also act as escrow agent in aviation-related deals.

He also has intricate knowledge of the tourism industry, particularly in relation to the distribution of air tickets and the relevant IATA procedures. In this regard, Ulrich has recently advised on legal questions concerning the structuring of distribution services, issues arising in connection with the computer reservation systems used by carriers and travel agents as well as problems associated with general sales agents engaged by carriers in Germany and worldwide.

Ulrich is internationally recognised as a leading practitioner in aviation law in legal directories such as Legal 500 and Legal Experts. Moreover, he is the winner of numerous awards, including the ILO Client Choice Award for 2010 and 2011 in the category 'Aviation Law Expert, Germany'.

Ulrich frequently writes articles and case notes on a variety of topics of current interest in aviation and has also published a book on IATA interlining and a collection of regulations on the inclusion of aviation in the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).

He is a member of the European Air Law Association (EALA), the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Air and Space Law and also serves as a member on the International Panel of Kluwer's Air & Space Law journal.

Moreover, Ulrich was admitted to practise before the Austrian courts in 2012.