The Irish Business and General Aviation Association is moving its annual business aviation and luxury tourism conference to the K-Club near Straffan in County Kildare. The luxury hotel and golf center became world-famous in 2006 when it hosted the Ryder Cup, with Europe enjoying victory for a third consecutive year.
“We have enjoyed a terrific two years at Adare Manor,” remarked Josh Stewart, IBGAA’s founding executive chairman, “but we thought it important to showcase to our industry other amazing venues that Ireland has to offer.”
The IBGAA event will take place on November 14 and be expanded to include an afternoon gathering on the preceding day at Weston Airport with static displays of business aircraft, helicopters, and cars. The airfield is located in Dublin’s outer suburbs and is a 15-minute drive from the K-Club. A welcoming reception will be held there in the evening prior to the conference. Once again, Gulfstream Aerospace is the headline sponsor.
IBGAA, NBAA, and EBAA have been campaigning against a proposed ban on general aviation at Dublin’s international airport. Last month, the Irish Aviation Authority announced that there would be no caps on general aviation traffic for the 2024/25 season, despite a cap being put in place on commercial passenger traffic that limits the annual number to 32 million. Fewer than 18,000 GA passengers are handled at Dublin, although the business supports more than 2,000 jobs and contributes nearly a billion euros to the Irish economy.