Leiden – Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition
The International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL), in partnership with the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation, was proud to co-organise the 17th Edition of the Leiden-Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition.
This year’s event was hosted by the University of Namibia from 17–19 April 2026, marking a significant moment for the competition’s engagement with the African aviation ecosystem. The competition brought together leading law schools from around the world, continuing its tradition of fostering academic and professional collaboration through moot court advocacy.
International Air Law Conference
Ahead of the competition, the International Air Law Conference brought together academics, regulators, industry representatives, and practitioners to discuss current developments in aviation governance.
The conference featured in-depth discussions on contemporary legal and operational challenges, including regional connectivity and liberalization, the Cape Town Convention, drones and high-altitude operations, and the role of soft law in times of geopolitical and technological uncertainty.
The conference provided participants with an opportunity to reflect on the rapid evolution of the aviation sector and the increasingly complex legal frameworks required to support safe, efficient, and resilient aviation operations.
International Air Law Moot Court Competition
The 2026 case was authored by Chrystel Erotokritou and Sofia Stellatou. It focused on high-altitude operations, cyberattacks against CNS/ATM infrastructure, electronic interference through jamming and spoofing, unmanned aircraft system operations, and questions concerning speedy relief for third-party financiers under the Cape Town Convention framework.
More than 20 teams presented arguments from both Applicant and Respondent sides before distinguished experts during the semi-final rounds. After a closely contested series of rounds, McGill University, appearing as Applicant, and Leiden University, appearing as Respondent, advanced to the world final.
The final round was presided over by:
- Regula Dettling-Ott, Professor, Univeristy of Bern
- Lot Haifidi, Legal Advisor to the Namibia Airports Company
- Yvonne Dausab, Executive Dean, Faculty of Commerce, Management and Law, University of Namibia
Following deliberations, the judges awarded McGill University as the winner of the 2026 competition. Many congratulations to the champions. Congratulations also to Leiden University for their excellent performance as runners-up.
Awards
- Winner: Team 10 McGill University
- Runner-up: Team 20 Leiden University
- Best Memorial (Applicant): Leiden University & Adam Mickiewicz University
- Best Memorial (Respondent): Leiden University
- Best Team Oralist (Applicant): The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Best Team Oralist (Respondent): Singapore Management University
- Best Oralist: Yuk Wai Wong (McGill University)
Leiden University was proudly represented by Daphne Konstantina Politikou from Greece and Yuan (Joanna) Wu from China, both students of the Advanced LL.M. in Air and Space Law. The team was coached by Tuvana Aras (Ph.D. Candidate and alumna of the Advanced LL.M. in Air and Space Law) and Anmol Dhawan (alumnus of the Advanced LL.M. in Air and Space Law).
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to the authors of this year’s case, Chrystel Erotokritou and Sofia Stellatou, as well as to the judges, organisers at the University of Namibia, participating teams, and all those who contributed to the success of this year’s competition.
Also many thanks to our sponsors Sarin & Co, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Studio Pierallini, DLA Piper, A&O Shearman, Croon Aviation Lawyers, Namibia Civil Aviation Authority, Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and FlyNamibia.
The 18th Edition of the Leiden-Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition will be hosted by the Faculty of Law, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, in Spring 2027.