A new report on the aviation industry here has warned that political inertia amid growing international competition jeopardises Ireland’s position as a world-leading hub in aviation.
The report by aviation investment group Irelandia also reveals concern over Ireland’s infrastructure bottlenecks, particularly the “artificial “passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
It describes the Dublin airport cap as a national embarrassment, that strangles growth at a critical transatlantic node, connecting Europe to the US.
Any cap on its capacity is not just an Irish issue, but a constraint on global connectivity and commercial flow, according to today’s report.
The report features insights drawn from confidential conversations from Lynne Embleton (CEO of Aer Lingus), Sean Doyle (CEO of British Airways), Willie Walsh (Director General of IATA and former IAG CEO), Andy Cronin (CEO of Avolon) and Michael O’Leary (Group CEO of Ryanair).
The CEOs and industry leaders who took part in the report represent companies that collectively generate more than €20 billion in annual revenues and manage substantial elements of the global aviation industry.
Many of the survey participants expressed a desire to expand investment in Ireland, but they also voiced serious concerns about the lack of strategic infrastructure planning, particularly the issue at Dublin Airport.
Ireland is home to over 50 aircraft leasing companies managing 10,000 aircraft and over 23,000 aircraft engines. This is equivalent to 37% of the global commercial fleet and makes the country a central player in the world’s air transport infrastructure.
Today’s report highlights the strategic potential for the aviation eco-system to create employment while enabling key parts of the Irish economy, including tourism, foreign direct investment and indigenous industry to expand for the benefit of Irish society.
“Ireland is one of the most critical nodes in the global aviation network because of scale, expertise and connectivity. This report makes clear that the aviation world is watching what Ireland does next,” said Joe Gill, co-author of the Irelandia report.
“What we heard from global aviation leaders from London to Hong Kong to Dubai and Washington is that Ireland’s success story in aviation is admired, but it’s not guaranteed. Without urgent and strategic policy action, others will step in to fill the space,” Mr Gill said.
“The scale of expertise, assets and capital concentrated in Ireland is exceptional, managing over a third of the world’s leased aircraft. That’s not just a national strength; it’s a global asset that requires global-level strategic thinking,” Eamonn Brennan, the former Director General of Eurocontrol and co-author of today’s report, said.
“Ireland plays a unique, central role in global aviation but that role must be safeguarded through deliberate planning and decisive action,” he added.
