At the recent ABI Annual Winter Leadership Conference held on December 9-11, 2021, Togut Firm Partner Kyle Ortiz spoke on a panel tilted Chapter 11 and the Airline Industry, along with a number of distinguished panelists, including Hon. Martin Glenn of the SDNY Bankruptcy Court, Hon. Kevin J. Carey (ret.), now with Hogan Lovells, Evan Fleck of Milbank LLP, and Cecily A. Dumas of BakerHostetler. They discussed recent trends and issues in the restructuring of airlines, including foreign-based airlines that have recently sought chapter 11 protection in the United States.
The Togut Firm and Mr. Ortiz have extensive experience in airline bankruptcy cases. The firm currently serves as co-counsel to the debtors in the ongoing chapter 11 cases of LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its affiliates. Mr. Ortiz recently testified as an expert witness for Philippine Airlines Inc. in support of its successful petition for recognition in the Philippines of the company’s pending chapter 11 case in SDNY Bankruptcy Court, the first time on record that a foreign chapter 11 proceeding was recognized in the Philippines under the the country’s Financial Rehabilitation Act. The Togut Firm also previously served co-counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors in American Airlines’ bankruptcy and conflicts counsel to the debtors in Frontier Airlines’ bankruptcy.
The Annual Winter Leadership Conference also included an induction ceremony for the those recognized in ABI’s annual “40 under 40” list. Mr. Ortiz was recognized on the “40 Under 40” list in 2018. He is also the co-chair of the ABI’s International Committee and a frequent writer on international insolvency topics.
