The EirTrade Aviation team is excited to connect with industry peers and customers at MRO Middle East, from 10-11 February in Dubai.

To schedule a meeting, reach out to our team:

• James Grey, Director of Sales & Purchasing
• Niall Baitson, Sales Executive

The EirTrade Aviation team looks forward to meeting with colleagues and customers at Aero Engines Americas next week in Fort Worth, Texas from 27-29 January.

Please contact the team in advance to arrange a meeting:

• Paul Gleeson, CCO
• William Thompson, VP Origination & Trading – Americas
• Sean Malone, Sales Executive

EirTrade Aviation is pleased to announce the successful closing of a new credit facility with Blazehill Capital & Wells Fargo, to accelerate growth initiatives.

Adam Sookia, Head of Investments at Blazehill Capital, said: “This transaction is another great example of Blazehill Capital’s ability to work collaboratively with Senior ABL providers to deliver flexible financing structures, maximising the company’s access to liquidity. We look forward to supporting EirTrade and its investors with its ambitious growth plans.”

Redmond Walsh, Chief Financial Officer at EirTrade Aviation, said: “We’re pleased to have worked with Blazehill Capital and Wells Fargo on this successful refinancing. The new combined facility will allow us to continue to invest into a growing portfolio of aviation assets and underpins our strategic growth objectives for years to come.”

Greg Agnew, Partner at Acorn Capital Management, said: ” We look forward to the new partnership with Blazehill Capital and Wells Fargo and found working with both teams to be seamless and straightforward. This major milestone for EirTrade will provide significant flexibility to accelerate our ongoing growth plans.”

Dublin, 13th January 2025: EirTrade Aviation, the global aviation asset trading and material management company headquartered in Dublin, today announced the promotion of Lee Carey to Chief Investment Officer and Karl Fitzgibbon to Chief Operating Officer. Both have been on the career fast-track within EirTrade for almost a decade and seen their responsibilities grow accordingly.

With an MSc in Aviation Finance from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a BSc in Aviation Management from Dublin City University, Lee Carey joined EirTrade in 2016 in sales & technical evaluations. Since then, he has rapidly absorbed senior roles in sales and asset management, managing the acquisition of over 100 commercial aircraft & engines.

Most recently Carey was Vice President Origination & Trading based at the Company’s Dublin headquarters. As Chief Investment Officer, his new role will incorporate continued responsibility and oversight of those activities, alongside a honed focus on nurturing existing relationships with investors and industry partners and fostering new affiliations.

“It has been a privilege to witness and play a crucial role in the exponential growth of EirTrade over the past few years,” says Carey. “During my time at EirTrade, we have experienced a tremendous level of growth, in terms of revenue, the team, our global footprint, and the services we offer. Our business has become more complex as we continue to diversify our asset base across more and more aircraft platforms and continue to expand our service offering through vertical integration.”

Newly appointed Chief Operating Officer – Karl Fitzgibbon identifies process optimisation as his greatest challenge. “Continuously identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance productivity and profitability is my key focus,” he says. “This involves analysing current workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and implementing innovative solutions to streamline operations. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, we can ensure that our processes remain efficient and effective, ultimately driving better results for the Company as we continue to expand our global presence.”

Fitzgibbon joined EirTrade Aviation in 2014 and steadily rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Operations, his most recent position. He currently manages a dynamic operations and repairs team in Dublin and Dallas, while also overseeing the logistics, customs, IT, and facilities functions.

“EirTrade is a business that provides numerous opportunities for growth and development. With operations spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia, the Company delivers specialist services to the global airline and aircraft leasing community. This international presence enables employees to engage in exciting projects and advance their careers within a dynamic and thriving industry. Hard work and collaboration have been key to our success, and I am proud to be part of this journey.”

Carey and Fitzgibbon both go on to say that the Company’s success to date has all been made possible by the inspiring team at EirTrade. They say that everyone consistently exhibits a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit. “We are all hardworking and passionate about what we do,” explains Carey. “EirTrade has always been a business that embraces talent, nurtures an entrepreneurial culture and inspires creative thinking to improve our service offering to stakeholders.” Fitzgibbon adds “Having been with the Company for over a decade, been a part of the growth, and held different positions across various functions of the business in that time, I can attest to this.”

Commenting on the two appointments, Ken Fitzgibbon – Chief Executive Officer at EirTrade said, “The Company is perfectly poised for further growth which will cement EirTrade as an industry leader in the USM market, and we already have some exciting announcements to come later this year. I firmly believe in the talent and dedication of my young team. I am extremely proud to foster their ambitions and mentor their careers. They bring a dynamism and energy to EirTrade which is entrenched in our spirit and recognised by our company securing one of the ‘Best Places to Work in Aviation 2024’ awards sponsored by Aviation Business News, and the ‘Workplace Achievement 2024’ award presented by Aviation Industry Awards Ireland.”

Ken Fitzgibbon concludes by saying that the investment from Acorn Capital Management in late 2023 was a very significant milestone for the business. “It has greatly increased our resources and continues to underpin EirTrade’s impressive growth trajectory.”

EirTrade Aviation looks forward to meeting with customers and colleagues in Dublin from 12-15 January. The team will be available for meetings during the Growth Frontiers Conference and at the ISTAT Hub.

Please contact the team in advance to arrange a meeting:

• Ken Fitzgibbon, CEO
• Paul Gleeson, CCO
• Lee Carey, VP Origination & Trading
• William Thompson, VP Origination & Trading – Americas
• Christen Grant, Marketing & Business Development Manager
• Tony Ramage, Origination Manager – APAC
• Conor O’Brien, Origination & Trading Manager