The first ever graduates of Ireland's only Corporate MBA in Aviation Management were conferred with their Masters Degrees at the University of Limerick yesterday.  10 Graduates completed the Kemmy Business School programme which is the first of its kind in Ireland and was been designed to educate students from diverse disciplines within the airline, airport, aviation and aircraft leasing sectors. The first cohort of students from a variety of aviation sectors and regions within Ireland started in September 2010. The Shannon region has a long historical association with the aviation sector dating back to the Flying Boats era in Foynes (and the invention of ‘Irish Coffee’), and later with the requirement for transatlantic flights to refuel in Shannon.

According to Dr Siobhan Tiernan, Course Director of the Coporate MBA, the programme  specifically focused on Aviation Management, was driven by the unique characteristics and importance of the sector. "The airline industry itself is the driving force behind the wider aviation sector, which includes aviation manufacturing, maintenance and overhaul, airports, and financial and other related services. Strategically the airline industry has an important global role to play; it’s the bedrock of the leisure / tourism industry, the conduct of business depends on the ability to travel, it generates 31.9 million jobs globally and drives 12% of the global economy.  With global airline revenues estimated to exceed $500 billion (www.iata.com) in 2010 it represents one of the biggest industries worldwide.  In addition, unlike other sectors it has experienced unprecedented and sustained levels of growth, with the exception of minor dips in demand for air travel brought about by external events.  Current predictions are that the industry will continue to grow by 5% per annum (Source IATA)."