Author Archives: Gianfranco Puopolo

Every private aircraft represents a significant investment and a demanding operational tool. Those who own or fly one cannot afford imprecise decisions — on maintenance, routing, or regulatory compliance — and have no margin for inaccurate or late information. This is precisely where artificial intelligence is beginning to make a difference: not as a technology […]

Italy has taken an important step towards opening its charter market to certain non-EU superyachts. With Circular No. 11/2026 of 15 May 2026, the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) clarified how the temporary admission regime may apply when a yacht moves between private and commercial use. The development is particularly relevant to yachts operating […]

Italy has introduced a new requirement for certain foreign-flagged recreational craft. Although limited to units up to 24 metres, the measure is also relevant to the wider superyacht sector, including owners, managers, brokers and shipyards. The new rule Article 26-ter of the Italian Recreational Craft Code, in force since 10 May 2026, applies to foreign-flagged […]

Recent decisions by the Court of Florence concerning The Italian Sea Group (“TISG”) offer important guidance on ownership, contractual remedies, and bank guarantees when a yacht builder enters restructuring proceedings. June 2026: protection lifted for five owners TISG entered Italy’s negotiated crisis settlement procedure (composizione negoziata della crisi) on 16 March 2026. Its application for […]

Business aviation is an international and highly flexible sector. Aircraft may be owned, managed, leased, chartered and operated by different entities, often across several jurisdictions. This flexibility is commercially valuable, but it also creates legal and insurance risks that must be carefully managed. The first question is usually: who is legally responsible for the flight? […]

Legal Framework and Competent Authorities Purchasing or selling an aircraft registered in the Italian Civil Aviation Registers requires an extensive knowledge of the Italian Navigation Code (“INC”) – which includes a specific section on navigation by air –, as well as of the special legislation at EU level and of the international conventions governing all […]

Selling a business aircraft in Europe or Monaco in 2025 involves a layered process that blends international tax and Customs planning with transactional discipline: title transfer, due diligence, payment structuring, and regulatory compliance must all be synchronized. From the aircraft’s location to the buyer’s tax status, each variable can materially affect the outcome. In this […]

The Italian Chamber of Deputies has recently approved the “Made in Italy” Draft Law on Yachting, resulting from the discussion between “Confindustria Nautica”, the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports and the draft law’s rapporteurs. The draft law will have to be approved by the Senate. The novelties, […]

The international movement of cultural property is regulated by Legislative Decree no. 43 of January 22, 2004 (“Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape” or the “Code”), which has been subject to numerous amendments, inter alia: – Law no. 124 of August 4, 2017, “Annual Law for Market and Competition”; – The Ministerial Decree of May […]

What is the applicable EU legislation? With reference to EU law, on April 20, 2023, the European Parliament has approved the final text of the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCA) legislation, which will enter into force between 2024 and 2025 and it will apply directly across the EU without any need for national implementation laws. […]