Buying or leasing an aircraft in the UAE: legal checks before commitment

1.Define the aircraft and its intended use

Before paying a deposit for a commercial or private aircraft, identify exactly what the transaction includes: airframe, engines, spare parts and technical records. Establish whether a lease supplies only the aircraft or also crew and operational management. Registration state, delivery location and intended activities matter from the outset. Aircraft registration alone does not authorise the proposed operation.

2.Check title and competing interests

Verify the seller’s or lessor’s authority, the chain of ownership and any mortgages or third-party interests. Do not treat a registration certificate alone as proof of unrestricted ownership or authority to sell. Identify consents, repayments and releases required before delivery.

Where the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol apply, examine International Registry interests, their priority and relevant states’ declarations. Reconcile searches with the transaction documents: a single registry search does not establish that every possible right or restriction has been identified.

3.Separate registration, operation and insurance

Map the GCAA and other applicable requirements for registration, previous deregistration, airworthiness and the planned operation before committing to a flying date. The lease structure and operator’s identity affect that assessment; private use and commercial air transport do not necessarily follow the same approval route.

Match insurance to intended use, routes, contractual obligations and current requirements. A certificate alone does not establish the full scope of cover: review exclusions, deductibles and the lessor’s or financier’s protection.

4.Put the findings into the contract

Define inspection and acceptance standards, defect remedies, delivery records and when risk transfers. Make payment and completion depend on the essential conditions being demonstrably satisfied. Specify a final deadline and refund arrangements if delivery or approvals are delayed or fail.

For leases, address maintenance costs, maintenance reserves and their reconciliation, permitted use and return conditions. Review governing law, dispute resolution and enforceability in the countries involved. These contractual protections should be tailored to the particular transaction.

5.Before signing: checklist and next step

Before accepting a non-refundable commitment, prepare the draft agreement and the records below for legal review. Contact Dr. Bahrami’s office to discuss the transaction and agree the scope of advice.

• Airframe and engine identifiers, ownership documents and signing authorities.
• Financing and third-party interest checks, with planned consents or releases.
• Registration and operating approval plan, technical records and insurance cover.
• Payment, acceptance and delivery conditions, plus return terms for a lease.