Dublin Aerospace CEO William Flaherty talks about where the Irish MRO provider is looking to grow capabilities and its plans to further add to its workforce.

As a multi-service MRO provider, what is Dublin Aerospace seeing in terms of demand by segment in 2023? Are the prospects good for a continued market recovery in 2024/25?

We [Dublin Aerospace] are experiencing a good recovery with strong demand for our maintenance services across all of our business segments. The prospects for continued market recovery in 2024 and 2025 look promising given the increasing demand we are seeing. 

How has the integration of the UK-based Exeter Aerospace acquisition aided the overall business? What are some of your future plans for the company?

The integration of Exeter Aerospace has provided significant benefits to our overall business. Exeter Aerospace has expanded Dublin Aerospace’s overall capabilities, increasing our footprint in the commuter aircraft maintenance market. This diversification allows us to serve a broader range of customers and strengthens our position in the aviation maintenance industry. Exeter Aerospace has followed a start-up trajectory, aiming to run at its capacity within the first five years. The strategic plan includes the establishment of five lines of maintenance, which enhances efficiency and enables Exeter to cater to more aircraft in a streamlined manner.

Exeter Aerospace employs 120, including the successful recruitment of the first batch of apprentices, further bolstering our workforce and ensuring the continuity of skilled personnel for the future. Investing in apprenticeship programs further demonstrates our commitment to nurturing talent and developing a skilled workforce to support our ambitious growth plans.

After two years in operation, Exeter Aerospace has shown a clear commitment to growth. This growth is evident in the successful entry into line maintenance, with a notable operation in Belfast. The success in this area has given us the confidence to expand our line maintenance network where opportunities exist, allowing us to tap into new markets and serve a broader customer base.

In late 2022, Dublin Aerospace launched a recruitment drive for 100+ employees over the subsequent 3-6 months. How has that process played out? Where did you specifically look to recruit, and were there challenges? 

We have more than 550 employees working across Dublin, Exeter and Belfast—and that number will only keep growing. Saying that, recruitment has become more difficult over the last number of years. The aviation sector and beyond is facing significant challenges in the labor market. To overcome this, we specifically looked to recruit from various industries, emphasizing the importance of training apprentices and providing technical skills development. 

We need governments to recognize and promote the importance of technical training to address the skill gaps across a number of industries and foster economic growth and competitiveness. 

How are you approaching current challenges related to the MRO supply chain and longer turnaround times? 

We acknowledge that the current challenges related to the MRO supply chain and longer turnaround times are industry-wide issues affecting not only us, but also our customers. The supply chain in Europe and response times have been disappointing, lagging behind what is required to meet the demands of the aviation industry at the moment.

We prioritize customer service and we understand that longer turnaround times can be a real challenge for our customers. To help address these challenges proactively, we hold a large stock of materials at both our Dublin and Exeter sites. However, we are aware that certain factors, such as delayed OEM response times, are beyond our direct control.

Is Dublin Aerospace looking at new market segments? Are there specific capabilities you are exploring?

Dublin Aerospace is actively exploring new market segments to expand its business. We have already mentioned increasing our line maintenance network, and another area of interest to us is increasing our component capabilities.

We have component shops located at Dublin and Exeter that are fully equipped and approved. Adding to our existing capability will deliver a more cost-effective repair for our customer over a wider range of components and give us in-house control of the repair turn times. Today, we have component capability across the Airbus A320 and A330, Boeing 737, ATR 42/72, Embraer 170/190 and Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft.