Our Team
Alan Burnett has focused his practice on aircraft transactions since 2001, representing domestic and foreign clients including private individuals, sovereign governments and companies of all sizes in hundreds of aircraft transactions, including structuring deals and aircraft ownership and usage, which has earned him an international reputation as an expert in his field.

Alan specializes in advising and counseling aircraft owners and operators in the purchase, sale, leasing and exchange of new and previously owned aircraft, including:

  • Drafting and negotiating letters of intent/offer letters, aircraft purchase agreements, third party and related-party dry leases, and fractional share purchases;
  • Financing arrangements, including loans and leases;
  • Federal income tax and federal excise tax planning, including general depreciation matters, 1031 like-kind exchanges, and entertainment use disallowance issues;
  • State tax planning;
  • Structuring transactions to comply with FAR Part 91 and FAR Part 135;
  • Personal and executive use policies and intercompany reimbursement compliances;
  • Aircraft registration on the FAA Registry, Cape Town International Registry, and "registries of convenience," including the Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, etc.;
  • Charter and/or Part 91 management agreements and flight department company design;
  • Corporate structuring;
  • Risk management/insurance;
  • Import/export;
  • Charitable use;
  • Time sharing, interchange and joint ownership agreements; and
  • Aircraft sharing arrangements and documentation

In 2008, Alan co-founded CenterPoint Aviation Law PLLC in Seattle, Washington, where he has a worldwide transactional aviation law practice. Before founding CenterPoint, Alan became an experienced negotiator with private and business aircraft buyers and sellers, aircraft manufacturers, financing institutions, fractional share providers, aircraft management and charter companies, brokers and other parties while practicing transactional aviation law at a small boutique firm, and previously in the aircraft transactions group at a large firm. Alan's experience advising clients on a broad range of transactions provides an understanding of the needs of aircraft owners and operators, including the executives, accountants, brokers, attorneys and other representatives that support them.

Alan has authored a number of articles on business aviation regulatory and tax topics. He also regularly presents at national and regional forums on a variety of transactional aviation law topics.

Alan serves on the National Business Aviation Association Tax Committee where he works to educate the aviation community on transactional aviation topics, including serving as the immediate past-chair of the aircraft transactions working group. He is also a member of the Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association, past-president and member of the aviation section of the King County Bar Association, and a member of the State Bar of Washington State.


Alan Burnett

Alan Burnett
Founding Partner

EMAIL ALAN