Eric Smith concentrates his practice in the airport, aviation-based labor, airport concessions, and bankruptcy arenas. He represents airport owners and operators of all sizes across the United States, providing legal and practical counsel on a full spectrum of issues that range from drafting large-scale operating agreements, to securing federal assistance for air carrier service, to obtaining federal grants for capital improvements to the airport.
Eric has extensive experience in the intersection of finance and airport projects. In the airport terminal project arena, Eric leverages his finance background to assist airports devise solutions to challenges with respect to the structuring of the financing and airline rates and charges aspects of those terminal projects. Among the recent terminal projects he has assisted airports on are new terminals at Kansas City ($1.4 billion), Tampa International (Terminal D) ($787 million), Memphis International ($250+ million), San Antonio International ($1.2 billion) and Boise Airport (~$150 million). He has also acted as special airport PFC counsel on PFC-backed airport bonds.
Eric has deep expertise in structuring and negotiating complex business arrangements, both in the distressed and non-distressed business contexts. Eric’s bankruptcy experience is broad and deep, having represented debtors, and a wide-array of creditors (including large banks, landlords, and airports), in Chapter 11 proceedings all across the United States. He has particular expertise in representing airport operators and aircraft owners and lessees in airline bankruptcies having been deeply involved in all post-9/11 airline bankruptcy cases and has served as counsel to airports of all sizes in those cases.
He is also experienced in labor and employment matters and assists airport sponsors in navigating the myriad of issues involving on-airport employment matters, including labor peace agreements, prevailing wage ordinances, and how those issues may impact concessions programs, such as ACDBE programs.
