MANCHESTER, England, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

ASM & Hill Dickinson hold a successful first workshop on the new EU guidelines on state aid for airports and airlines

Route development specialists, Airport Strategy and Marketing (ASM) and international commercial law firm, Hill Dickinson LLP held their first joint workshop on understanding the latest EU guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines 2014, last week in London. The workshop was attended by a number of airports who were able to explore their own complicated situations with one of Europe's leading aviation lawyers, Jeremy Robinson, Hill Dickinson LLP. 

"Each airport has its own unique financial and competitive situation and we have been lucky to examine some real case studies and apply them to the airports that came here today," commented Robinson, continuing: "The 2014 guidelines are very different from the old 2005 guidelines and it is important that airports get up to speed, furthermore it is important that airports monitor carefully the backlog of cases currently going through the Commission, as these will shape the interpretation of the rules in the coming years." 

On 20^th February 2014, the European Commission issued new guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines, updating and modernising the rules that had applied since 2005 particularly in relation to operating aid, investment aid and start-up aid. Jeremy explained how these guidelines relate to other key legislation, such as the Airport Charges Directive and general competition law, as well as how old cases under the 2005 guidelines were decided, and how similar cases today would fare under the 2014 rules.

Chris Purkiss, Director of Civil Aviation, Gibraltar attended the workshop and explained: "The new guidelines will become important for many public run airports like ours and it is important to understand the mindset of the Commission, their objectives and how they are likely to apply the guidelines to real life cases. The workshop has been invaluable for us to understand what we need to do when we go back to the office in relation to the latest EU Commission Guidelines." 

Nigel Mayes from ASM added: "Many airports have not paid enough attention to the changes in the Commission's approach and the practical implications, for example, the preparation of airport business plans especially for justifying investment into new routes.  The aim of this workshop is to highlight the requirements and provide some ideas for how to build these business cases." 

ASM and Hill Dickinson LLP have launched the dates for the next EU Workshop which is due to take place on 23^rd October 2014 in London.  To secure your place please contact Joanna Newman: Joanna.newman@ubm.com

Notes to Editors 

About ASM 

• Manchester UK‐based ASM Ltd was founded in 1995 as the world route development consultants. http://www.asm-global.com  
  
• ASM was the founding company of Routes which organises world-renowned airline and airport networking events through its regional and global Route Development Forums. Each year, there is one global event and one regional event in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and CIS respectively. http://www.routesonline.com
  
• Routes and ASM were acquired by UBM Aviation Worldwide Ltd in August 2010.  From 1^st August 2012 Routes, ASM and the Airport Cities Conference and Exhibition become part of the UBM Live division of UBM plc.
  
• UBM Live connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets.  Through premiere brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show, the Routes portfolio of events, Airport Cities and many others, UBM Live exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors. http://www.ubmlive.com

About UBM plc 

• UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company.  We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content.  Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.
  
• For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news from all UBM's businesses; follow @UBM for a flavour of UBM from selected members of UBM's Twitterati.

About Hill Dickinson 

• Hill Dickinson LLP is a leading and award-winning international commercial law firm with more than 1,300 people including 180 partners, with offices in Liverpool, Manchester, London, Sheffield, Piraeus, Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong.
• The firm delivers advice and strategic guidance spanning the full legal spectrum, from non-contentious advisory and transactional work to all forms of dispute resolution.
• Hill Dickinson prides itself on fostering the strongest client relationships and adding value through innovation. The firm acts as a trusted adviser to businesses, organisations and individuals within a wide range of specialist market sectors: including transport and logistics and international trade, through to retail, insurance, marine, health, education, manufacturing, public sector and banking and financial services.

Hill Dickinson has been recognised locally, regionally and nationally with awards for excellence in service delivery. Recent awards include:

• Legal Services Team 11+ Partners Award, Claims Innovation Awards 2014
• Investors in Diversity Award 2013, National Centre for Diversity  
• Dispute Resolution Award, Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards 2013
• Commercial Award, Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards 2013
• Ultimate Challenge Award, The Prince's Trust Fairbridge Awards 2013

For further information about the firm and its partners please visit http://www.hilldickinson.com

For the latest legal alerts and for updates on the firm, follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hilldickinson

Follow us on twitter:

@ASM_Ltd, @VictoriaRoutes, @NLPROU, @Routesonline, @TheHUBRoutes, @airlineroute

SOURCE UBM Live ASM Ltd