Full coverage: Aviation

Aircraft leasing is one of Ireland’s greatest economic success stories, but global competition is heating up. To stay ahead, policymakers must double down on what works.

In 2023, the maintenance, repair and overhaul market globally was valued at $25 billion and is growing at a compound annual growth rate of three to five per cent. Here is a plan for how Ireland can boost its presence in this area.

The firm, which generates €54.6m in annual revenue on aircraft repair and maintenance, wrote to the higher education minister, calling current training schemes “too rigid”.

Ireland could become a European hub for commercial pilot training — but only with bold policy action. A proposed €40 million state-backed loan fund would open aviation careers to hundreds, while revitalising regional airports.

Shaping an all-island aviation strategy in Ireland is one of the five policy recommendations set out in “A Pathfinder for Irish Aviation”. Over the next number of weeks, Joe Gill, a co-author of that report, will expand on each of these policies for The Currency.

Russia is moving to seize critical infrastructure at home, including an airport, and authorities have identified an Irish subsidiary as a matter of interest.

Joe Gill interviewed 30 CEOs and respected thought leaders in the aviation sector to develop a blueprint for the sector in Ireland. The report lists five actionable policy ideas to keep Ireland flying high.

Volga-Dnepr’s Irish arm is tangled up in legal disputes in Canada and the UK. Questions linger over what the airline’s Irish company is doing now.

The payments giant is seeking funds owed to it by the US investment firm over a deal to provide services to its now-bust Australian airline Bonza.

The US aircraft manufacturer is exactly the type of multinational the Trump administration claims to champion, but its trade policy is prompting warnings from customers from Ireland to China – not to mention Boeing's own supply chain.