Master in Air and Space Law

1- Introduction to Law

This course is designed for those with no formal knowledge of law. The course introduces students to a range of introductory legal issues concerning the sources, institutions, and underpinnings of the law. Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of basic legal issues through: the practical application of statutory interpretation; role of courts in applying legislation; and use of precedents. The course will address various legal subjects including contract law, tort law, product liability law, litigation law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The course will also identify both civil law and common law legal systems.

2- Public International Law

This course provides an introduction to international law. It covers the major areas of general international law and is not over-specialized. The lectures cover the core tutorial topics on the nature and sources of international law, the law of treaties, international legal personality, jurisdiction and immunities, state responsibility, the use of force and the procedures for peaceful settlement of disputes, and international organizations. In addition, the course focuses on some areas such the law of the sea, international humanitarian law, and international environmental law.

3- Private Air Law: Treaties and Cases

The aim of this course is to examine the impact of air cargo law developments on the airline business, and understand the different approaches and solutions to the complex air cargo law issues. It will review the international conventions on air law in relation to cargo liability, namely Warsaw 1929 and Montreal 1999 conventions for the Unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by air. Both conventions attempt to re-establish uniformity and predictability of rules relating to the international carriage of passengers, baggage and cargo. The course examines the core provisions which have served the international air transport community for several decades. In addition to that, related national, European and U.S. measures and rules are going to be discussed in detail. Moreover, the course will address the third party liability, passenger protection, ATC liability, and aviation product liability. This is to also evaluate the national rules and to explore the difference between agent and forwarder liability.

4- Public International Air Law: Treaties and Institutions

This course covers the Chicago Convention system regarding international civil aviation, including its drafting history, bilateral air service agreements, criminal law treaties and arrangements, criminal air law and aviation security, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association, and other public and private organizations, both worldwide and regional, such as ACAC, AFCAC, LACAC, ECAC, ICC, OECD, UNCTAD and WTO. Moreover, the course focuses on some contemporary topics, such as the regulation of unmanned aerial, or air, vehicles (UAVs), global MBMs for emissions, noise regulation, airport charges, slot allocation and ground handling. Inter-airline cooperation, especially alliances, is also covered under this course.

5- International Space Law and Communication

This course discusses the genesis, substance and future of the corpus juris spatialis - consisting of the Outer Space Treaty, including its drafting history, the Rescue and Return Agreement, the Liability Convention, the Registration Convention and the Moon Agreement. The course also covers more recent conventions including the UN international legal instruments at the level of so-called principles, and the institutional legislative process in relation to law-making for outer space activities, with particular emphasis on law-making in the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Also, the course addresses the legal and policy aspects of current and future outer space activities, both space and earth-oriented, such as research and development programs, remote sensing, commercial exploitation of natural resources, military uses, and telecommunications. Furthermore, the various specialized institutions and intergovernmental organizations (e.g. ETISALAT, ESA, INTELSAT, INMARSAT, EUTELSAT and EUMETSAT) will be addressed, including the process of privatization which some have undergone in recent years. Also, the implementation of the international rules at the domestic level by means of national space legislation will be covered in terms of existing and future regimes.

6- Comparative Space Law and Regulation

This course surveys the national regulatory frameworks governing space activities, with a particular focus on the legal frameworks that govern private and governmental entities engaged in space activities. Activities addressed at the national or regional level include discussions on national space authorities, supranational bodies, and licensing schemes and operation requirements for launching, remote sensing and telecommunications. The course provides students with a thorough knowledge of the myriad legal issues involved in space activities, including state obligations under the UN treaties, international law, private international law, and national space laws, regulations and policies.

7- Civil Aviation Law and Policy: UAE Specific

This course focuses on the federal government air transport regulations and various provisions relating to safety and security and certificate of financial fitness, air transport services, non-essential airport-related services, airports, consumer protection, labor, air Navigation and communication, and environment. The role of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in policy making and their implementation- with a special reference to the standards recommended by the ICAO, which are compiled with by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency- will be an integral part of this course.

8- Aviation Safety and Security: Issues in Air Traffic Management

This course is designed to give a comprehensive understanding of the elements and functions involved in compliant ICAO Safety Management Systems (SMS). Understanding the context and drivers of a Safety Management System in addition to differentiate existing safety management organization and new elements of a SMS are going to be discussed in detail in this course. During this course, candidates will identify related civil aviation safety and security risks, learn how to manage security risks and incidents, and analyze various emergency planning response options. This is to increase their understanding of the legal framework in which aviation security operates, identify key practices for securing civil aviation and understand how to implement them in different regimes. Learn how aviation security is integrated within the aviation industry, and evaluate how business decisions are being affected by threats and risks. Learn how to balance security with cost-effectiveness, and develop effective communication techniques to deal with airlines, authorities, and other entities.

9- Air Transport Competition Law and Policy

The aim of this course is to introduce legal concepts and details with regard to competition and antitrust law in both international best practices and national law. It will analyze the fundamental provisions of competition law according to European, American, and Emirates legal systems including the rules regarding: abuse of dominant position, horizontal and vertical agreements, merger control rules and policies. The course will take a comparative law perspective and will provide examples from cases in different legal systems in order to evaluate the efficiency of national rules to deal with the non-competitive behaviors of undertakings in aviation sector.

10- Liberalization of Air Transport: UAE Government Regulations

This course covers various international and UAE air laws and policies, rules and regulations on liberalization and privatization of international air transport. The course will have a special focus on the UAE civil aviation authorities and their policies on the subject as well as the practice of negotiating air transport market access agreements, and the changes adopted by the UAE federal government to its air law; considering the European and the U.S. standards as a benchmark. The bilateral, multilateral, and regional treaties and agreements, negotiated by the UAE federal government with other nations, will be analyzed as a part of this course.

11- Aircraft Financing and Leasing

This course provides coverage of the key aspects of the aviation leasing and finance industry. It provides analysis of the legal and practical issues in relation to what parties encounter in aircraft leasing and finance transactions, including national rules and international best practices. The course covers key legal, financial and technical issues, as well as an understanding of the broader regulation, tax, and insurance aspects relevant to aircraft leasing and finance. It also gives students knowledge about operations, along with the portfolio of expertise and skills they need to manage the financial risk, monetary policies, economic strategies used by commercial firms and regulators in the global air transportation industry, and leasing conditions, requirements and measures in terms of national legal system.

12- Aviation and Airspace Risk, Liability, Insurance and Dispute Resolution

The course focuses on various types of insurance policies, their terms and conditions, the protection and coverage they offer in both of aviation and space law. The student will also learn the procedural aspects such as interpretation of clauses in the policy, investigation and procedure to make a claim from the insurance agencies. The students will be trained in dealing with the disputes of claims from passengers and cargo-owners, and various methods of resolution including arbitration, conciliation, mediation, and negotiation. This course would also cover main subjects that are recognized in Liability Convention for damage caused by space objects, such as: distinction between liability and responsibility, issue of direct and indirect damage in outer space, defining problems with terms "Damage", "Space object" and "Launching state", concept of Launching state, difference between absolute liability and fault based liability, dispute settlement in outer space. Issues of Space Insurance will be covered as well. The working procedure of some internationally recognized Institutional Arbitral Tribunals, dealing with such disputes in the UAE, would be evaluated in this course.

13- Legal Research and Legal Writing

This course offers the opportunity to gain in-depth working knowledge of legal research and legal writing resources and methods. The course is intended to develop a mastery of legal research beyond the level of the standard undergrad curriculum. The course will cover several major areas of legal research, legal writing and internship, including, but not limited to, extensive coverage of primary and secondary sources, practice and specialized topical resources. The student will be assigned a series of writing, research, and advocacy projects to engage the students in the process of legal reasoning. The course instructs the student in basic methods of legal analysis, effective written and oral communication of your analysis, and essential legal research tools and methodologies.

14- Internship

Internship is a structured academic opportunity that allows students to apply academic skills and knowledge at the workplace. Students learn in an entirely different way from what they ever could have experienced in the classroom. This internship provides the ability for the students to work in aviation industry. These can mainly include the following: airports, UAE Civil Aviation Authority offices, and UAE Space Agency.

The internship is supervised by an internal instructor from the staff of the master program. The internal instructor organizes a set of visits to the students at his/her placement during the internship. Students are required to write weekly, reflective journal entries that are signed by the external instructor and submitted to the internal instructor. A final report will be submitted to the instructor by the end of the internship.