Buying a business jet from halfway around the world is not a real estate deal. We are an aviation lawyer in Singapore who handles transactions where the aircraft crosses borders before the money moves. The aircraft is registered in one country, owned through a company in another, financed by a bank in a third, and flown in a fourth. Salem Ibrahim LLC structures, negotiates and closes exactly those transactions — for buyers, sellers, owners and charter operators across ASEAN and India — and defends pilots, owners and operators when aviation matters go wrong.
Our managing director, Mr Salem Ibrahim has held a pilot’s license and has been shepherding multi-jurisdictional business jet sale, purchase, financing, leasing and chartering for more than 28 years (38 years at the bar). He has developed an international network in this field.
Our typical transaction
The mandates we handle usually look like this: a US-registered aircraft, owned by an ASEAN or Indian principal through an offshore SPV in the BVI, Cayman Islands or Seychelles; a US owner trustee holding registered title; a European or ASEAN lender taking cross-border security; and the aircraft either flown privately or placed on the AOC of a regional or international charter company to sell unused hours. Ownership structure, registration flag, financing security and operating model are chosen together, as one decision — because each one constrains the others.
How we help
- Aviation lawyer in Singapore for cross-border jet purchases, registrations and financings
- Private jet sale and purchase — purchase agreements, pre-purchase inspection issues, title and lien searches, escrow closings, deregistration and re-registration
- Ownership structuring — forming and advising BVI, Cayman and Seychelles SPVs, and US owner-trust structures for N-registered aircraft
- Aircraft registration — selecting and filing with the US, Malta, Isle of Man, Bermuda or Cayman registries, matched to the aircraft’s intended use
- Aircraft financing and mortgages — cross-border facilities, security packages, Cape Town Convention registrations and IDERAs
- Charter placement — dry-leasing your aircraft to an AOC holder to sell unused flight hours, and associated lease, maintenance and insurance arrangements
- Leasing, fractional and joint ownership — dry and wet leases, co-ownership and shareholder agreements
- Operating, maintenance and management agreements — drafted and reviewed by a lawyer who has held a pilot’s licence
- Enforcement defence: the lawyer-pilot advantage — defending pilots, owners and operators facing airspace violations, licence enforcement, regulatory investigation and aviation offences
Enforcement defence: the lawyer-pilot advantage
When a pilot or operator faces sanction, most firms hire an expert to explain what the flight was. We don’t outsource that work.
We defended the Australian pilot whose aircraft was intercepted by two RSAF F-16s after an intrusion into Singapore airspace on a flight from Ko Samui to Seletar. The defence required command of every airspace and FIR the aircraft had crossed, fluent interpretation of the radio communications and clearances, and transformation of all of it into legal argument. Our representations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers resulted in a fine of SGD 5,000 for failure to hold a valid certificate of airworthiness, avoidance of six weeks’ parking charges at Changi Airport, and no risk of a custodial sentence for intruding into Singapore airspace.
Other firms advertise aviation law. Very few can staff it with a lawyer-pilot — 28+ years at the bar and decades at the controls — who can read the transcript, fly the route, and argue the law, in the same person.
Featured transaction: Purchase and finance of a Gulfstream G550 business jet
We acted for a fast-rising luxury business jet charter company in the purchase and financing of a Gulfstream G550. Our work covered the sale and purchase agreement, the financing and security documentation, the escrow closing, and the aircraft’s transition onto an Air Operator’s Certificate for international charter operations — a full lifecycle mandate from deal sheet to revenue service.
**Aviation law in Singapore** covers aircraft sale, purchase, financing, leasing, charter and registration matters, together with aviation litigation and insurance disputes. Salem Ibrahim LLC acts for owners, purchasers, lessors and charter operators on multi jurisdictional business jet transactions and disputes.
FAQ
Find answers to the most common questions about private jet charters,
ownership and aviation legal matters in Singapore.
Not directly in most cases. The FAA requires the registered owner of a US-registered aircraft to be a US citizen. Buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand and elsewhere hold title indirectly: through a trust arrangement under which registered title vests in a US owner trustee, while you — or your SPV — hold the beneficial interest.
Three practical reasons. Liability ring-fencing: the SPV owns nothing but the aircraft. Financing: lenders prefer a dedicated SPV whose only asset is the jet. Flexibility: transferring the aircraft later can be as simple as transferring SPV shares. The choice of jurisdiction depends on tax, cost, lender preference and counterparty locations.
The Cape Town Convention provides an international framework for aircraft financing and security interests. Key documents include the IDERA (Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation), which empowers lenders to deregister and export aircraft on default. This filing protects lenders across jurisdictions where the aircraft may travel.
The IDERA, filed on the International Registry under the Cape Town Convention, authorises the lender to deregister and export the aircraft on default — making the lender’s security enforceable wherever the aircraft is located. Owners must never sign a transaction without knowing where their IDERA is filed.
Each flag suits a different owner. The US registry requires the citizen/trustee structure. The Isle of Man does not permit commercial operations. Malta and Bermuda suit aircraft in commercial charter service. Cayman is favoured for corporate and leased aircraft in Asia. Intended use, financing and ownership location drive the choice.
Typically your SPV acquires the aircraft and dry-leases it to a charter operator holding an Air Operator’s Certificate. The operator sells your unused flight hours to paying customers, offsetting ownership costs. The registration flag must permit commercial operations.
A layered package: an aircraft mortgage on the registry, a Cape Town Convention International Registry filing, an IDERA, deregistration powers of attorney, assignments of insurances and engine-programme rights, and often share security over the owning SPV.
Move quickly and take advice before making statements. Enforcement runs on three tracks — regulatory licence action, potential criminal exposure, and employment or immigration fallout — and each requires different handling. We defended the pilot intercepted by two F-16s over Singapore airspace; early, aviation-fluent advice is what protects licences and careers.
Yes — we represent buyers, sellers and charter operators across ASEAN, India and the US.
Cost is driven by transaction value and complexity, the number of jurisdictions involved, whether the matter is a negotiated transaction or a dispute, and the extent of documentation and negotiation required.