Refunds to trainee pilots ruled out

The Government will not be able to refund fees to trainee pilots caught up in the closure of their course because it could mean other creditors demanding similar treatment — with a potential cost to the taxpayer of millions of euro.

Members of the Pilot Training College Action Group, representing the families of students on the pilot training course which folded earlier this month in Florida, met Transport Minister Leo Varadkar yesterday morning, as well as members of the Irish Aviation Authority and later with the Garda Fraud Squad.

While 80 students were affected when the PTC ended abruptly at the Florida Institute of Technology, 35 Irish students had self-financed their courses, leaving them out of pocket and without having completed their training.