Profile

Mark is a London-based partner who specialises in aviation insurance. Since qualifying in 2003, Mark has focused on advising airlines and their insurers on liability issues, including passenger and third party injury and property damage, delay, denied boarding, discrimination, cargo, subrogation and hull claims. He handles small claims and major loss/complex matters as well as advising on consumer regulatory issues.

The majority of Mark’s work concerns advising and handling major carrier claims throughout Europe, North America, Africa and Australasia, either directly or with correspondent lawyers. Mark also supervises claims in South America. Mark brings an additional level of experience to his practice, as a qualified private pilot.

Mark’s experience ranges from working on the Pan Am Lockerbie loss, through to the recent Las Vegas engine failure. Mark has been directly involved with every significant insured loss affecting British Airways since 2001.

He is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) and a co-author of the aviation chapter in the latest edition of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide which was published in February 2021.

Mark Welbourn is a very good negotiator; he could help bring something that looked like it was going to fall apart back together. His recommendations are well thought through and I feel comfortable with him.

Qualifications and admissions

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 2003

Market recognition

  • Notable practitioner for 'Aviation: Insurance (UK-wide)'
    "Mark Welbourn is a very good negotiator; he could help bring something that looked like it was going to fall apart back together. His recommendations are well thought through and I feel comfortable with him."
    "I trust Mark Welbourn's advice over anyone's in the market. He's so intelligent, just great to have on your side. He will always find ways to defend a claim and gets on so well with the market players."
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Aviation (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Notable practitioner for 'Aviation: Insurance (UK-wide)'
    "Mark Welbourn does an excellent job."
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Aviation (London)'
    "Mark Welbourn and Lisa Williams are the dream team for airlines".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner for 'Aviation: Insurance (UK-wide)'
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Aviation (London)'
    "Mark Welbourn and Lisa Williams are the dream team: both approachable, knowledgeable and commercially astute."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022

Work highlights

  • Following the crash of BA Flight BA38 on 17 January 2008, Mark directly handled all of the passenger and third party claims emanating from the incident.
  • He was involved in handling the claims arising from a 2002 S-76A North Sea loss with the deaths of two crew and nine passengers. Proceedings for a declaration were issued in the High Court to ground jurisdiction in the UK.
  • Advised on the rig operator and employer of passengers involved in a Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin accident in the UK in 2006 involving the death of two crew and seven passengers.
  • Led the successful defence of the maintenance provider of a Schweizer 269 helicopter that crashed in the UK Lake District in 2004.
  • Successfully defended major UK carriers at trial in cases concerning the meaning of “accident” and “disembarkation” under Article 17 of the Montreal Convention.