Shannon Group and Shannon based companies claimed several awards at the Annual Aviation Awards 2019.
The awards are the benchmark for excellence for those demonstrating best practice and innovation in the aviation sector in Ireland.
The awards reflected again Shannon’s huge influence in Irish and international aviation, with two Shannon Group companies picking up awards and six other awards also deeply connected with Shannon.
One of the Shannon Group awards went to the International Aviation Services Centre (IASC) – the largest aviation cluster in Ireland, with over 60 companies based in the Shannon Free Zone – for the Aviation Support Services. The second was picked up by Shannon Duty Free as it was announced Airport Retailer award, validation for the significant investment in the historic outlet, which was the birthplace of airport duty free shopping globally, in 2018.
The Outstanding Contribution to the Aviation Industry award also reaffirmed Shannon’s global influence, with the recipient Colm McLoughlin, CEO of Dubai Duty Free, a former Assistant Manager at the Shannon Duty Free Outlet. Now leading one of the world’s largest duty-free companies, Mr McLoughlin was a member of a Shannon Duty Free team that was invited to Dubai by the city’s rulers to help establish the now iconic Dubai Duty Free brand.
Other Shannon winners were the Atlantic Aviation Group, which won the People Development Award and AAV Aviation Services Training Shannon and LIT & CAE Parc Aviation, which won the Aviation Academic Education Award.
The MRO Achievement Award went to Aero Aviation in Shannon, while the Upcoming Aviation Professional Award went to Owen Bagnall, Director of Operations at Aero Inspection.
Shannon based aviation solutions provider Atlantic Aviation Group are celebrating after winning the People Development Award on the night.
Employing over 250 people at their two Shannon Free Zone facilities, the company is an Irish owned provider of aircraft maintenance, training, airworthiness and engineering services to airlines and lessors around the world.
Expressing his delight at the win, CEO Shane O’Neill said, “At Atlantic Aviation Group, we have placed a special emphasis on the development of our people. To receive this industry wide award recognition is a tremendous reward for the work we have being doing to develop our people from within our organisation. Our people are the engine of our company.”
In a further boost for the company, it was revealed Atlantic Aviation Group was one of four companies shortlisted for Aviation Company of the Year at the awards. In all, the company received four nominations in the categories of Company of the Year, People Development, Aviation Support Services and MRO Achievement Award. Acknowledging the significance of the successes, Mr O’Neill said, “We are working hard as a company to put building blocks in place to achieve our ambitious plans for growth over the coming years. I am delighted to see the outstanding work that is going on being recognised across the industry.”
He continued, “Not only will we continue to develop our people, we will attract even more world class talent to our company in the coming years. Such ambitious plans require a very talented, educated and motivated work force in order to execute results.”
Another link with Shannon was the Aviation Leasing Achievement Award, which went to Avolon, the leasing company founded by Clare man Dómhnal Slattery, its CEO and industry leader who started his career with Guinness Peat Aviation in Shannon.
Said Shannon Group Acting CEO Mary Considine: “These awards remind us yet again of the incredible role Shannon has had on aviation, not just in Ireland but globally.
“Not alone did Shannon Group entities, Shannon Duty Free and IASC, win awards, but to have eight awards in total connected with what has been built up here over the years is a testament to the quality and calibre of the aviation companies based in Shannon. I would like to pay tribute to our staff who have worked hard to achieve this recognition and congratulate Colm Mc Loughlin on his outstanding contribution to the industry. Last week we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first commercial flight into Shannon and Friday night’s awards illustrated the remarkable aviation heritage we have, a heritage we continue to honour today and into the future.”