Cork's pilot training academy marks growth from a single aircraft to 26-strong fleet

Atlantic Flight Training Academy has trained 2,800 pilots since it was founded in 1995

At the 30th anniversary of the Atlantic Flight Training Academy were: Angelo Currao, pilot recruitment manager with Ryanair; Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly; Michael O'Brien, board director of safety at Ryanair Holdings Plc and Ryanair's former chief pilot; and Mark Casey, CEO and head of training at AFTA.

More than 100 pilots from across the world were in Cork recently to mark the Atlantic Flight Training Academy's 30 years in business.

AFTA was founded by Captain Mark Casey in 1995 with a single aircraft, Piper Seneca (EI-CMT), and three decades later, the flight training school reached the significant milestone of training 2,800 pilots, expanding its fleet to 26 aircraft and investing in multiple flight simulators, as well as three survey aircraft.