Your editor was delighted to return to Kildare, Ireland in November, for the IBGAA 2025 International Business Aviation Conference
There can be few conference venues so grand as The K Club and even fewer welcomes so effusive as that of the Irish Business and General Aviation Association (IBGAA) to its annual conference. The most recent event, for conference seems too small a word for it, delivered a packed day of expert panels and inspiring speakers, rounded off with a gala dinner, traditional Irish music and dancing and, according to IBGAA’s enthusiastic master of ceremonies Oisin Lunny, plenty of craic, an Irish word pronounced ‘crack’ and essentially meaning fun.
Josh Stewart, IBGAA chair and founder and CEO at XJet and Robusto Capital, kicked the day off with talk of Ireland’s aviation expertise and diaspora, in a teaser for an announcement to come in full later in the proceedings. The subsequent launch of a new organisation known as the Irish Aviation Diaspora and its slogan, ‘Unleashing the Mighty Power of the Global Irish’, was accompanied by an inspirational talk from Kingsley Aitkins, CEO at The Diaspora Institute. Aitkins left delegates in no doubt about the accomplishments of Ireland’s brothers and sisters overseas.
In the meantime, sustainability heavyweights Nancy Bsales, COO at 4AIR and Smitha Hariharan, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Gulfstream Aerospace, took the stage for a frank fireside chat on sustainable aviation fuel and other industry initiatives. Your editor joined media colleagues on the next panel, What’s the Story, BizAv Glory?, responding to questions on the year’s key news under the moderation of Oasis fan, Jetcraft Sales Director and IBGAA board member Colin Dunne.
Alliance Aviation CEO Brendan McQuaid was up next in the Irish Innovation Meets Saudi Vision panel, discussing the company’s work at Dublin International Airport and expansion into Saudi Arabia, as described elsewhere in this edition. One might expect the IBGAA annual conference to keep its major focus on Ireland, but its international content is ambitious, as demonstrated by the next panel, on global connectivity. Again, industry leaders were on the K Club stage, including executives from Gainjet, Gogo, Flexjet, Honeywell and Viasat.
More than a conference
After lunch, delegates learned the importance of family offices, heard an overview of the used aircraft market and enjoyed a spirited presentation from Dennis Schulz, Project Manager International Sales (Aviation) EMEA, North America and China at Fairnamic, on the Aero Friedrichshafen 2026 show, an increasingly significant event in the business aviation calendar.
The schedule moved towards the day’s final panels after Schulz left the stage, and notably included The Global Perspective, which gathered senior industry leaders Kurt Edwards, Director General at IBAC; Joe Buckley, Executive Director at IBGAA; Scott Macpherson, founder of TrainingPort.net and former Canadian representative on the IBAC Governing Board; and Paul Walsh, Senior Manager, Membership Services at EBAA, for a high-level discussion moderated by Doug Carr, SVP Safety, Security, Sustainability and International Operations at the NBAA.
The 2025 IBGAA annual conference was a sell-out success, with informative panels, personal connections made and, judging by the various huddles and intense conversations observed, deals or at least the makings of deals struck. But to characterise the IBGAA based on this event alone would be a mistake. The association is highly respected across the business aviation industry for its ability to get things done, to tackle issues and to do so at the highest levels of government if required. It is a capability tested and proven when a proposed passenger cap at Dublin International Airport – which would have banned non-scheduled flights, including business aviation traffic – was overturned following IBGAA intervention with support from the EBAA and NBAA.
There are craic and humour aplenty at an IBGAA annual conference, but clearly also an underlying foundation of professionalism and deep expertise that translates into results for the wider industry where they really matter.