- Clonmel and Elevate Credit Unions established loan fund with AFTA for pilot cadets
- Funding identified as key obstacle in Pathfinder for Irish Aviation report
- Initiative opens pilot training to candidates across all income groups
- Training at Waterford, Weston, Sligo and Cork airports
- Full details at AFTA Open Day on 8th August at Cork Airport
Two Irish Credit Unions (Clonmel and Elevate) have joined forces with the Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) to establish a loan fund specifically for cadets, opening up opportunities for candidates from all demographic and income cohorts. A key obstacle to scaling commercial pilot training in Ireland has been funding for cadets, a core point identified in “Pathfinder for Irish Aviation”. This breakthrough will help scale pilot training at Irish airports, including Waterford, Weston, Sligo and Cork while providing highly qualified pilots for Ryanair, ASL, Aer Lingus, Emerald and international carriers.
AFTA utilised its major Cork open day on Saturday, 8 August 2026, to highlight the new finance scheme and other critical changes and training options for prospective students. Detailed outlines were given for the Ryanair Mentored Programme, VistaJet Pathway, and ASL Ireland Mentored Programme. Visitors toured the exhibition hall, reviewed the training fleet, and explored the high-fidelity Boeing 737 MAX and ALSIM DA42 simulators.
Future events include
- AFTA x VistaJet Webinar: Wednesday, 9 September 2026 (Online)
- Pilot Training Seminar Belfast: Saturday, 26 September 2026 at the Clayton Hotel Belfast
AFTA shared in a written statement: “This breakthrough will help scale pilot training at Irish airports, including Waterford, Weston, Sligo and Cork while providing highly qualified pilots for Ryanair, ASL, Aer Lingus, Emerald and international carriers.”
