John Whelan: Shannon and Dublin aircraft firms tap maintenance boom

Huge backlogs at the two main manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, means there is a lucrative trade for Irish companies in repairing older aircraft.

End on an icon: The final Boeing 747 lands at Paine Field following a test flight in Everett in Washington last month.

The last Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which was much beloved by Irish travellers to the US, rolled off the production line in Seattle at the end of January, marking the end of the old luxurious, but fuel-guzzling and large CO2-emitting aircraft. 

But the event also heralds a return to what looks like the first normal year for the aviation industry since the lifting of the global pandemic restrictions as passengers take advantage of their renewed freedom to travel.