Galileo is back on track - On Friday 27, the launch of satellites 7 and 8

Last week, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that two more satellites for Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation will be launched on 27 March 2015. Galileo satellites 7 and 8 are scheduled to lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket and they are expected to become operational by mid-2015. This launch, scheduled for late last year, was delayed due to the Soyuz launch anomaly of Galileo satellites 5 and 6 which took place in August 2014.

RPAS regulation takes off in the EU – The Riga Declaration and the EASA Concept of Operations for Drones

Regulation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly known as “drones”, received a boost in the EU after the issuance of the Riga Declaration, which laid down policy aims on RPAS regulation. A few days later, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced the Concept of Operations on Drones.

French court awards more than 30 million € compensation over 2009 Yemenia Airlines accident …and highlights few legal issues on international air carrier liability

The French court of first instance (TGI) of Aix-en-Province has awarded damages of over 30 million Euros to the families of 70 passengers, who died at the crash of Yemenia airlines flight IY626 off shore from the Comoros islands on 30 June 2009. This is the second judgment on the case, the first one being rendered by the TGI Bobigny, which awarded about 7 million Euros to the families of three passengers. Some factual and legal parameters of the case are of great interest.