A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation
A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation
Irelandia welcomes the broad set of responses from across the aviation industry to “A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation” which was published on May 25th.
Dr. Dec Ryan, Founder of Irelandia, said:
“I am delighted with the constructive and positive response from so many stakeholders in the aviation industry to our “Pathfinder” report. We look forward to engaging with interested parties over coming weeks and months as we campaign to have our recommendations debated and adopted by policymakers and investors connected to the Irish aviation eco-system”
Press Release
Monday, 26th May, 2025
Cork, Ireland
AFTA – Ireland’s largest Commercial Airline Pilot Training academy, has welcomed the publication of a new Irelandia report – ‘A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation’ and it’s finding’s concerning Pilot Training –
“A key obstacle to airline pilot training in Ireland is access to finance from Irish based lenders and especially for cadets from lower income cohorts – Ireland can quickly accelerate its annual output of professionally trained commercial pilots if debt funding can be secured at a reasonable interest rate” (Mark Casey, AFTA CEO and Founder)
Ireland’s largest Pilot Training Academy, AFTA has welcomed the publication of a new report by investment group Irelandia – “A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation” and its analysis on Irish Aviation and its policy recommendations, in relation to Pilot Training and improving access to competitive finance for cadets.
Atlantic Flight Training Academy, one of Europe’s leading Independent Flight Training Organisation’s, which recently celebrated 30 years in business operating at Cork airport and Waterford airport, believes the key recommendation to introduce an ISIF backed loan fund to help cadets finance their training would trigger a significant increase in commercial pilot output in Ireland. AFTA alone has over 100 applications on file from individuals who simply cannot access the more than €100,000 required for a full commercial pilot’s license.
Capt. Mark Casey, AFTA Founder and CEO, said:
“If this recommendation is implemented AFTA will commit to expanding its operations at airports including Waterford.”
The Enterprise-Ireland client firm believes the number of pilots trained in Ireland could quadruple in a relatively short period. AFTA has trained an impressive roll-call of 2,800 highly – skilled commercial pilots for leading airlines and commercial operators across the world, since its foundation at Cork airport in 1995. Airline customers have already indicated to AFTA that they have demand for extra pilots and they are ready to employ a significantly increased output of suitably qualified cockpit crew.
“Ireland can quickly accelerate its annual output of professionally trained commercial pilots if funding can be secured at a reasonable interest rate for prospective students. At every Pilot Career’s – recruitment event we attend, AFTA staff are constantly reminded by parents and students about the lack of available finance for prospective Pilot Cadets in Ireland. This issue is the major barrier – to – entry . Furthermore, this puts Irish Pilot Training Schools, like AFTA, at a competitive disadvantage, while our EU competitor Schools, enjoy main Street bank lending for trainees and state backed lending for trainees. We stand ready to respond proactively and positively to any Government initiative in this context and welcome Irelandia’s analysis of Irish aviation and its specific recommendation concerning pilot training.”
Unlocking potential of all-island Northern Ireland aviation sector will supercharge economy and create thousands of high paid jobs, KPMG event hears
A holistic approach to the aviation sector across the island of Ireland could unlock significant investment, supercharge the Northern Ireland economy and create thousands of highly paid jobs, a special roundtable convened in Belfast by KPMG heard today.
Attended by the Minister for the Economy Dr Caoimhe Archibald and other industry stakeholders, the meeting discussed a number of policy initiatives which would allow the all-island sector to take more advantage of the deep aviation manufacturing capabilities in Northern Ireland, as well as helping boost connectivity and competitiveness.
The event – Seizing the Aviation Opportunity – heard from Joe Gill, the co-author of the recent landmark report A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation alongside Eamonn Brennan. That report set out a number of measures aimed at boosting growth across the all-island aerospace and aviation sectors and was commissioned by Irelandia, the aviation group founded by the former co-founder of Ryanair Dr Dec Ryan.
The report formed the basis for the discussion at the KPMG roundtable.
Amongst the five policy recommendations in it were a suggestion for the abolishment of airport passenger duty (APD) for flights from Northern Ireland to provide a uniform cost benefit for tourism and business across the island. Additionally, it recommended the commencement of flights from both Belfast to Cork and Derry to Dublin as part of the public sector obligations (PSO) outlined in the New Deal New Approach agreement.
It also suggested that the Aerospace Technology Institute, Enterprise Ireland and Ireland Strategic Investment Fund could develop world class aviation projects on the island and create a strategic engine overhaul facility in Derry or Shannon airports.
Minister for the Economy Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “I welcomed the opportunity to hear more on the Pathfinder for Irish Aviation’ report. It raises a number of important issues that my department will want to consider further, particularly as we work to develop the north’s first aviation policy. The all-island potential for this industry is also an exciting prospect and we must take full advantage of the opportunities it presents.
“Connectivity is vital to our economic development. Our air connectivity is a key enabler for increasing our FDI, tourism and opportunities for our indigenous businesses to exploit export and investment opportunities. Not to mention our world-class manufacturing and engineering clusters in the north.”
Johnny Hanna, Partner in Charge at KPMG in Northern Ireland, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Economy Minister and industry leaders to our roundtable session today which explored ways to grow the aviation sector across the island, with a particular focus on Northern Ireland. By way of example, the development of a major world class aircraft MRO facility in this part of the island to service the ever growing needs of leading global airlines and aircraft lessors could create many thousands of highly paid jobs and leave a legacy for many generations to come. This is an opportunity for the region which should be given serious and urgent consideration by all stakeholders”
Dr Dec Ryan, Executive Chair and Founder of Irelandia and commissioner of the report, said: “We believe these recommendations need to be prioritised and enacted by policymakers and stakeholders across the Irish aviation industry. If we are to seize the opportunity offered by a growing aviation sector over coming decades around the globe, Ireland needs leadership now to strengthen and broaden the foundations of this strategically important industry.”
