Former Pilot Training College students and their parents have asked the Government to ensure each individual trainee can finish their training without any additional cost.

Trainee pilots, who were stranded in the US when their course with the Waterford-based Pilot Training College collapsed, plan to picket the Dáil this week.

Students of the Pilot Training College say it is “unethical” and “out of the question” that they be expected to pay tens of thousands of euro more in order to have their training taken over by another company.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) will pay for trainee pilots who are stranded in the US to fly home.

A Fianna Fáil senator has urged the transport minister to investigate what happened to the €10m in fees paid by hundreds of trainee pilots after they went into the bank account of a Waterford-based company.

The first of 34 stranded Irish trainee pilots are due to make their way home from Florida today.

Enterprise Ireland has confirmed that it invested around €440,000 in the Pilot Training College in Waterford.

A group statement from the 80 Irish trainee pilots left stranded in the US after course chiefs failed to pay $1.2m (€960,000) in bills owed to their partner college has accused the Pilot Training College (PTC) chief executive of “providing false and misleading information”.

The Pilot Training College was wrapped on the knuckles by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority two years ago for claiming to be a “leading supplier of commercial pilots to major airlines”.

The Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has promised to bring home any Irish trainee pilots who are stranded in Florida, after their flight training was controversially cancelled.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said today that around 80 Irish trainee pilots, stranded in Florida, may not get all of their fees back.

Irish trainee pilots, stranded in Florida, are anxiously awaiting the outcome of restructuring aimed at saving their training college based in Waterford.

Less than a year ago, the Pilot Training College claimed it was “poised to become a European leader in aviation training” even though auditors said its net assets were less than half the amount of its called-up share capital.

One of the 200 families affected by the Florida pilot training crisis have said they “haven’t slept or eaten since this nightmare began”.

PUPPET decapitations, Irish-dancing electro music, hurling royalty and a bizarre but unnervingly catchy “banana song”.

THE Kerry footballers and last year’s All-Ireland champions suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Down, at the weekend, but the Rose of Tralee contest could yet provide some consolation for the Kingdom.

EUROPE’s largest regional airline, Flybe, has signed a contract with the Pilot Training College at Waterford Airport.

PILOTS from as far away as the US will be flying high over Waterford soon under a multi-million euro deal with one of the world’s leading training services.

South-East Correspondent Neans McSweeney looks back at 21 busy years of international flights.