Simon Balls

Practice Areas

Simon leads our London aviation practice. He qualified in 1997 and specialises in aviation-related liability issues. He has extensive experience in advising airlines and insurers on a wide variety of claims including baggage, cargo, personal injury and major catastrophes.

Simon is notable for his expertise in handling and coordinating claims worldwide, and is regularly instructed to advise on matters in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Simon has spent three years working in Singapore, from 2001 to 2004.

He has been instructed to advise on major matters including a Pakistani air crash in Istanbul and a significant claim made in the Canadian Human Rights court for denied boarding. He has successfully defended Malaysia Airlines in the Court of Appeal on the most significant recent claim concerning the definition of ‘accident’ in a personal injury claim governed by the Montreal Convention.

Simon regularly lectures on aviation and insurance topics and writes for trade press and Kennedys publications. He is also a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.

Work Highlights

Successfully defended a claim in the Court of Appeal against Malaysian Airlines for bodily injury as a result of an alleged ‘accident’ which occurred to a passenger on board an aircraft.

Handled a significant claim being made in the Canadian Human Rights court for the denied boarding of passenger who was on the US ‘no fly’ list. Kennedys remain the only UK law firm written in to the policy for this airline, the second largest in the UAE.

Represented a Pakistani airline in relation to all issues arising from a crash in Islamabad in April 2012. This was a major incident resulting in over 100 fatalities, with proceedings issued and being defended in Islamabad.

Dealt with various third party claims following the crash of a large cargo aircraft at Stansted in Essex, including a claim pursued by the National Trust for the destruction of a number of significant and historic trees.

Assisted a major airline in the handling of over 350 claims from passengers whose tickets had been cancelled, after they had purchased first class tickets for free due to an error on the airline’s website.