Team size: Five

Can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently (cases, transactions, projects)?

The tender of Antalya Airport Project is the most recent project that we have been involved in as a legal function. The General Directorate of State Airports Authority (Devlet Hava Meydanları İşletmesi Genel Müdürlüğü – ‘DHMI’) in the Republic of Türkiye initiated the tender, regarding the construction of additional investments and the granting of management concessions through lease transactions in respect of general aviation and CIP Terminals and their annexes, with a view to increase the capacity of the Antalya Airport. The joint venture (JV) of Fraport and TAV Airports Holding has placed the best bid to extend its operating concession for Antalya Airport in Türkiye by 25 years. We are working as TAV legal, preparing all legal documentation and contracts for the implementation of this huge project to grow the airport’s annual capacity to 80 million passengers. The establishment of the Special Purpose Vehicle Company and the execution of the Lease Agreement with DHMİ have been primarily implemented through our legal assistance. The financing agreements and ancillary legal documentation are the ongoing projects that we are still working on.

Even in the best-case scenario, Covid is likely to have far-reaching ramifications. How are you safeguarding the long-term health of the business?

The Covid pandemic is already causing wider consequences for business life, and these will continue for the near future. In particular, airport operation industry experienced immediate and dramatic impacts on airport traffic and revenue. Most operators in the world required financial support from governments. Airports under PPP agreements or concessions triggered Force Majeure clauses or sought assistance to ensure the financial viability of private operators. Concession terms or revenue shares have been reviewed and/or Capex plans have been potentially delayed.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

Moden in-house lawyers need to perform specialisation and planning with a result-oriented approach. Whilst carrying out works within a wide range of legal disciplines and frameworks, teamwork and collaboration are emphasised for in-house legal positions. Legal departments play key roles in minimising risks for their organisations by providing necessary legal supports for the company. Our goal is to sustain a preventative business practice. If there are any legal risks, we provide necessary legal consultancy services to identify and eliminate them. We also liaise with large law firms and international finance organisations on large scale projects while guiding them on protecting our company’s interests.