The Aviation Industry Awards 2026 has announced its shortlist, naming finalists across 15 categories ahead of the awards ceremony on 3 December 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin Airport, where Ireland's leading aviation organisations, innovators, and professionals will be recognised before hundreds of senior executives from across the sector.

Launched in 2014, the Aviation Industry Awards have established themselves as the benchmark for excellence and best practice across Ireland's aviation community. This year's shortlist draws from a broad cross-section of the sector, with finalists representing aircraft engineering and maintenance, passenger experience, aircraft leasing, aviation innovation, safety and risk management, green impact, social impact, global aviation, women in aviation, academic education, apprenticeship programmes, technology, and workplace culture.

Entries were assessed by an independent judging panel coordinated by Dr Viktoriia Ivannikova, Programme Chair and Assistant Professor in Aviation Management at Dublin City University. The 2026 panel brings together aviation expertise from across industry, academia, and regulatory bodies, including Adam Bouchard of Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, John Drysdale of Annadale Aviation, Aidan Flanagan of ACI EUROPE, Samantha Harding of SILC, Dr Kyriakos Kourousis of the University of Limerick, Sinead McCloskey, John McMahon of M.J. McMahon & Company, Hemant Mistry, Kieran O'Brien of KPMG, and Michael Treacy of Enterprise Ireland.

The programme is supported by Gold Sponsors Aviation Skillnet, a non-profit organisation supporting Ireland's aviation sector through training consultation and financial support, and Leasepoint, a global leader in aircraft lease management software trusted by over half of the world's top 20 lessors to manage more than 100 billion dollars in aviation assets. Amárach Research joins as Supporter, while The Irish Times serves as the official Communications Partner.

The Aviation Company of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Aviation Industry awards will be announced exclusively on the night of the ceremony.

Visit the official Aviation Industry Awards website to view the full shortlist, explore category details, and subscribe to the newsletter for updates ahead of the December gala.