Aviation’s role in helping economy can soar

Tomorrow evening, RTÉ will broadcast a documentary called Aviators and Pioneers that underlines the role Ireland played in the development of commercial aviation.

Starting with the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic in June 1919, which ended near Clifden, Co Galway, the Alan Gilsenan-directed broadcast is a fine profile of how our country has weaved its way to the centre of a globally important industry.

It shows, over two programmes, how a combination of bravery, political guile, luck, and a large dose of entrepreneurial ambition has produced a world-class capability in the operation and financing of commercial aircraft.