CHAPTER I: GENERAL RULES.

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L421-9

Article L421-9

French Civil Aviation CodeIn force
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Updated 8 Nov 2023

I.-Civil aviation flight crews in section A of the register provided for in article L. 421-3 may not work as pilots or co-pilots in public air transport beyond the age of sixty.

II. - Section A flight crews who meet the conditions required to continue working as flight crews may, however, be kept in service beyond the age of sixty for a further year upon request made no later than three months before their sixtieth birthday, solely in the case of crewed flights with more than one pilot, on condition that only one of the pilots is over the age of sixty. This request may be renewed under the same conditions for the following four years.

Section A cabin crew may, as of right and at any time, from the age of sixty, request to be reclassified in a ground job.

If the employee does not request to continue working as a flight attendant or reaches the age of sixty-five, the contract will not be terminated for this reason alone, unless the company is unable to offer the employee redeployment on the ground or the employee refuses to accept the job offered.

III. - Civil aviation flight crews in section D of the register provided for in article L. 421-3 may not work as cabin crew in public air transport beyond the age of fifty-five.

IV. - Flight attendants in section D of the register who meet the conditions required to continue working as flight attendants may, however, continue to work beyond the age of fifty-five if they submit a request to this effect no later than three months before their fifty-fifth birthday. This request may be renewed under the same conditions for the following nine years. At any time after the age of fifty-five, the employee may ask to be reclassified in a ground-based job. If the company is unable to offer redeployment to a ground-based job or if the person concerned refuses to accept the job offered, the employment contract will be terminated. The employment contract is not terminated simply because the person concerned reaches the age of fifty-five and waives or exhausts his or her right to benefit from the provisions of this paragraph, unless the company is unable to offer redeployment on the ground or the person concerned refuses to accept the job offered to him or her.

Mariela Petrova

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Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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