Over 100 pilots from around the world flew into Cork swapping their uniforms for black-tie suits and evening dresses at a gala honoring Atlantic Flight Training Academy’s 30 years in business. The event also celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2023-2024. Families from Ireland and abroad joined to witness their loved ones graduate and begin careers with top global airlines.
AFTA founder and CEO, Captain Mark Casey, said “First, I would like to take a moment to recognise the remarkable achievements of our graduating cadets. Becoming a pilot requires determination, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. You should be incredibly proud of what you have achieved. This is just the beginning of an exciting career, and we have no doubt you will go on to accomplish great things. The great people we have within AFTA is certainly the secret of our success. I would like to take the time to acknowledge your contribution towards AFTA’s success.
It must be said that there is no doubt that AFTA would not be at the scale it is without the success, support and growth of our airline partner’s over the past 30 years. The aviation powerhouse that is Ryanair continues to go from strength to strength, Ryanair has been a huge supporter of AFTA since its inception and we are ever grateful for the continued cadet programmes we offer as a partner school in the Ryanair Future Flyer Academy. We have been joined at the hip for 30 years and it is often said internally, we share the same DNA.
Our Global partners Air Astana, VistaJet, ASL Airlines and GlobeAir are invaluable to AFTA and we are eternally grateful for their support. Air Astana, (the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus), which is our longest airline partner, and we are proud to have trained hundreds of pilots for this prestigious national carrier who continue to grow from strength to strength.
While AFTA is reliant on our Airline partners, all our non-airline partners are equally as important. These include the IAA, our university partner MTU, the DAA, Cork Airport, AirNav Ireland, Representing the French Ambassador, Hon. Consul of France in Cork, Josselin Le Gall and Enterprise Ireland and all the external regulatory bodies we work closely with without their continued support we could not educate the next generation of airline pilots successfully.”
Over 2,800 Pilot’s have been trained by AFTA to-date in Cork and Waterford airports, since the academy’s launch from modest beginnings in 1995, with a single Seneca training aircraft 30 years ago to 26 aircraft today.
Image Credit: Atlantic Flight Training Academy
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 7 April 2025 All Rights Reserved
