IDA flights bill doubles to €1.36m

IDA chief clocks up almost 59,000 air miles as part of work promoting Ireland 

Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland.

IDA Ireland chief executive, Michael Lohan last year clocked up 58,983 air-miles as part of his work attracting inward foreign direct investment into Ireland.

New figures provided by IDA Ireland in response to a Freedom of Information request shows that IDA Ireland’s spend on flights for all staff more than doubled from €579,103 in 2024 to €1.36m last year.

The figures came during a year in which 323 investments were secured by IDA Ireland.

The top amount paid to an airline was to Aer Lingus which received €321,931 flying IDA staff on Aer Lingus routes to Europe, the UK and the US.

The spend by the IDA on hotels for its travelling staff last year totalled €979,231 across 2,702 bookings which was slightly ahead of the €931,506 hotel bill for 2024 arising from 2,401 bookings.

The figures show that Mr Lohan’s overseas work for the agency took him to the likes of Osaka, Dubai, Zurich, Seattle, and Washington.

The records show that Mr Lohan’s air-miles of 58,983 was down on the 74,387 air-miles he made in 2024.

The IDA spend on Mr Lohan’s 28 flights in 2025 totalled €40,594 compared to an outlay of €25,427 for 2024.

Hotel bills reduced 

The figures show that while the spend on Mr Lohan’s flights last year increased, the spend on his hotel accommodation reduced from €9,171 in 2024 to €6,782 in 2025.

The detailed figures show that the most expensive nightly hotel rate incurred by the IDA Ireland for Mr Lohan last year was at Carnation Hotel Group owned The Rubens At The Palace in London at a cost of €470.34. Mr Lohan stayed there for one night only.

The second highest rate for Mr Lohan in 2025 was €466.80 for the Deerpath Inn in Chicago while the cheapest 2025 hotel was obtained at Hotel Marquette in Minneapolis at €240.80.

The most expensive hotel rate incurred by the IDA in 2024 was €653.33 at The Luxury, San Francisco and the cheapest in 2024 was €176.90 at the Hyatt Regency Westlake in Los Angeles.

A spokeperson for IDA Ireland said: "With a workforce of 411 staff, IDA Ireland operates across 21 international offices spread across North America and Canada, Asia and Europe – alongside our headquarters in Dublin and regional locations throughout Ireland."

The spokesperson added: “Expenditure on hotels by the organisation reflects the extensive breadth and reach of the geographic marketplaces covered by the organisation to deliver on our global remit. IDA Ireland adheres to strict guidelines for travel arrangements to ensure value for money.

"Travel and associated hotel expenditure are an essential part of IDA Ireland’s work as an investment promotion agency. These activities enable us to build strong relationships with our client base of over 1,800 companies and to showcase Ireland’s strengths to prospective investors worldwide.

“This work is crucial in attracting and securing investment that drives economic growth and job creation across the country, whilst also ensuring a steady pipeline of future foreign direct investment for Ireland."

A total of 323 investments were secured by IDA Ireland during 2025, representing a 38% increase on the previous year. The IDA said it expects the 323 investments to deliver over 15,300 new jobs in the coming years. Employment in IDA client companies increased by 1.5% year-on-year in 2025 to 312,400.

Annual client expenditure on payroll, Irish materials and Irish services reached more than €40bn in 2024, with a further €12.8bn spent on capital expenditure projects.