By Business & Finance 
Avolon CEO Dómhnal Slattery speaks about Avolon’s rapid growth and plans for the future
Avolon Chief Executive, Dómhnal Slattery spoke to Business & Finance before An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar opened the new Avolon HQ in One Ballsbridge, Dublin.
In the interview, he explained why Ireland is the global leader in aviation leasing, how Avolon was the largest funded startup in the world, raising $750 million in equity, about Avolon’s place as the third largest lessor in the world with the youngest fleet and much more.
Avolon HQ opening
Introducing An Taoiseach, Slattery spoke about Ireland’s foresight and leading position in the aviation leasing business, touching on Dr Tony Ryan (founder of GPA and Ryanair) and the genesis of aircraft leasing in 1975. He commented on the reason Ireland is the global leader in aviation leasing:
A people, that have led the world in embracing diversity and inclusion, a people that have shown resilience in times of adversity, not just in the past ten years but over centuries. A people that deal with the facts – no sugar coating, we call it as we see it. And a people with a sense of curiosity, fun and adventure.
He continued: “Ireland is a company with a formidable past behind and a country with huge opportunities ahead of it. Ireland is a country of doers, of entrepreneurial talent, ready to flourish on the global scale.”
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar comments on Avolon’s successes and Ireland
Kate O’Connell (TD for Dublin Bay South), An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Avolon President and Chief Commercial Officer John Higgins , and Avolon CEO Dómhnal Slattery. Photo: Robbie Reynolds.
An Taoiseach said:
I am delighted to officially open Avolon’s new global HQ. I am extremely proud of our unique aviation heritage, and the important role the aviation sector plays in the Irish economy. Ireland is a leader in global aviation finance due to our highly skilled workforce, robust regulatory framework, competitiveness and pro-business policies.
