Built on the foundations laid by the UCD Smurfit School Master’s in Aviation Finance over the past decade, the UCD Smurfit Executive Development Professional Diploma in Aviation Finance gives mid- to senior-level executives a deep practical understanding of the global aviation finance and leasing sector.
“The diploma programme is now in its second year,” says faculty member Prof John Cotter. “The first cohort started in April 2025 and finished their final assignments in December. The second cohort starts this April. The programme takes advantage of UCD Smurfit School’s position as the leading academic research and teaching hub for aviation leasing and finance in Ireland and globally as well as Ireland’s leading position as the number one hub for this sector in the world.”
Both the master’s and diploma programmes were designed in conjunction with the industry, Cotter says. “We were approached some years ago by the then head of Avolon, Dómhnal Slattery, who said he would like to see a dedicated degree in aviation finance. We built the programme in conjunction with the leading lessors and our original sponsors included Avolon, AerCap, SMBC and KPMG.”
The success of that programme led directly to the diploma. “They came back to us a few years ago and said they would like an executive course for people already working in the industry,” says Cotter. “We responded by developing the diploma programme, which is aimed at post-experience people in the industry who want to invest in their careers and move upwards into executive management roles or horizontally into other areas, such as engineers moving into finance roles.
READ MORE
“It is also aimed at people from outside the industry who are interested in moving into it. Last year we had one participant from the insurance industry in London.”
The 2025 cohort came from a wide variety of backgrounds, he adds: “We had people from legal firms, service providers, technical manufacturing [and] professional services, as well as aircraft leasing.”
On completion of the programme, participants will have obtained a broad appreciation of asset and liability management in aviation, with a focus on developing key leadership skills. This includes a detailed understanding of aviation financial analysis decision making; the influence of economics, accounting and related areas on aviation financial structures; aviation asset management, including the drivers of aircraft value; the funding strategies used by airlines and lessors; financial strategies to extract maximum benefits from new opportunities; and of how to negotiate and communicate effectively with senior leaders, customers and other stakeholders.
“It’s about decision making, and aviation financial decision making in particular,” says Cotter. “Participants gain an understanding of the market, of asset and liability management, the economics of the industry, and the tax environment. Funding is a big part of it. Lessors often have better credit ratings than the airlines. They can go and borrow at a slightly better rate than an airline when buying a $100 million aircraft and then rent it to an airline at a profit. There is also a big focus on leadership skills.”
Networking opportunities are also very important. “The participants come from diverse backgrounds, and they learn from each other and help each other. Somebody from outside the industry can learn from those already in it, and others within it can learn from people in different areas of the industry. They also have networking opportunities with industry leaders who deliver masterclasses during the programme.”
Those masterclasses cover areas such as leadership, tax, asset-backed securities and other technical aspects of the aviation finance sector. “We have been very lucky to have the support of the industry and to be able to get great people in as guest speakers,” says Cotter.
Those speakers have included Jennifer Creevey, deputy chief executive and CFO of Nordica Aviation Capital and vice-chair of Aircraft Leasing Ireland; industry veteran Robert Murphy; and Fiona Scott, CDB Aviation’s chief people officer.
They complement an exceptionally strong faculty made up of Cotter, his colleague Prof Tom Conlon and adjunct professor Norm Liu. “Norm was head of Gecas and is one of the biggest names in aviation leasing globally,” he adds.
Very importantly, the UCD Smurfit Executive Development Professional Diploma in Aviation Finance has been built for busy executives. “Last year, we had six two-day workshops on site for the six modules,” Cotter notes. “But we have changed that this year to four two-day sessions on site, with the other two modules delivered online. Last year, 40 per cent of the class were flying in to attend the workshops so this new format will help them to fit the course in with their busy schedules.”
Applications are now open for the programme which starts in April and runs until the end of November, with a summer break in July and August. For more information, contact james.bannigan@ucd.ie or register here to join the information webinar on Friday, March 6th, from 1-1.45pm
