With 271 aircraft, Ryanair’s in service fleet is more than four times larger than Aer Lingus's and worth nearly five times as much, according to an analysis of the country's aviation industry by Vessels Value (VV).
SAS Connect, the Irish subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, rounds out the top three, VV reported, ahead of the January 16 start of the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference in Dublin.
The significance of Ireland's aviation sector rests in large part on it being a hub for the aircraft leasing industry, much of it based in and around Dublin Airport, which was by some distance the busiest in the country in 2022.
"Looking at commercial aircraft activity in Irish airports over the course of 2022, Dublin is by far the main point of entry, with around 10 times more international flights than Cork, Shannon, West Knock, and Kerry Airport," VV said.
*infographic by VV Aviatio