A proposal that could see Galway Airport transformed into a centre for commercial flight training, while remaining in public ownership, has put a fresh option on the table as the future of the strategic Carnmore site continues to be debated.
The Advertiser has seen a detailed lease proposal from Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA ), which offers to establish a permanent training and operational base at Galway Airport and become a rent-paying tenant of Galway City Council and Galway County Council.
The proposal, submitted by AFTA chief executive and head of training Mark Casey, offers the two local authorities an immediate alternative to disposing of the airport site outright.
It comes amid growing debate over the future of the 118-acre property, which is jointly owned by the city and county councils and has been the subject of an expressions-of-interest process.
The councils put the site on the market in 2025, with an advised minimum value of €90,000 per acre and industry expectations at the time that it could achieve at least €10.5 million.
But while a sale could deliver a substantial once-off receipt, the AFTA proposal raises a different question: what might the airport generate if it remained in public ownership and was instead developed as an active aviation and economic asset?
