Cork pilot training firm Afta renews training partnership with cargo operator ASL Ireland

Atlantic Flight Training Academy holds contract with a number of airlines including Ryanair, VistaJet and Turkish Airlines

ASL cadets Shane Hendry, Daria Marinskaite, Odhrán McNally and Aidan Sherwood.

The Atlantic Flight Training Academy (Afta) in Cork has renewed its partnership with cargo operator ASL Airlines Ireland (ASLI). 

The move follows the success of the programme launched last year and Afta is now recruiting cadets for the new ASL Mentored Cadet Programme. The first group of cadets, recruited in 2023 and continuing their training modules, are on track to complete their training and join ASL as fully qualified pilots early next year.

ASL in Ireland is one of four ASL Aviation Holdings airlines in Europe which operates a fleet of widebody and narrowbody freighter aircraft throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East. It has its headquarters and main operational base in Dublin and its own maintenance hangar in Shannon. ASL Airlines Ireland has aircraft and crew bases in 10 European countries.

Afta, which is headquartered in Cork with a secondary base in Waterford Airport, has been training international cadets since 1995, with contracts including Ryanair, Air Astana, VistaJet, GlobeAir, Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines and ASL.

Afta founder and CEO Mark Casey said its collaboration with ASL had already shown promising results. "The ASL Mentored Cadet Programme not only provides aspiring pilots with the skills and knowledge they need but also ensures they are fully prepared to transition seamlessly into the airline," he said.

ASL Airlines Ireland’s director of flight operations Con Murphy said they were delighted to continue the relationship with Afta following the success of the 2023 programme. 

"This partnership is crucial in recruiting and training the next generation of pilots through the new ASL Mentored Cadet Programme," he said.

The training course is scheduled to commence in February 2025 and will run for about 18 months, culminating in the cadets' transition to ASL Airline Ireland for employment.