Dr Viktoriia Ivannikova, Programme Chair and Assistant Professor in Aviation Management at Dublin City University, has praised the strength, diversity and international reach of Ireland's aviation industry as Judging Coordinator of the Aviation Industry Awards 2026.

Dr Ivannikova coordinated the judging of entry submissions across a wide range of categories. "Ireland's aviation industry continues to demonstrate remarkable strength, diversity and international reach," she said. Alongside established strengths in aircraft leasing, engineering and maintenance, she noted strong participation in passenger experience, innovation and technology, and workforce development. In several categories, she said, the competition was "extremely close".

On sustainability, she said it featured across many categories, not only environmental ones. "The strongest initiatives went beyond ambitious sustainability commitments and demonstrated practical improvements supported by evidence," she said. She highlighted progress in fleet modernisation, fuel efficiency, circular use of aircraft components, waste reduction and digital emissions monitoring.

Skills were another strong theme. Employers are responding to workforce shortages through structured apprenticeships, technical training and closer collaboration with education providers. "Aviation programmes should combine strong academic foundations with practical industry experience, digital competencies and an understanding of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence," she said.

Innovation was not limited to large organisations, she added. "Smaller and emerging companies demonstrated creative solutions to industry challenges, often with significant potential for international application."

Looking ahead, she expects artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, operational resilience, sustainability and workforce development to define entries over the next two years, with cargo logistics and automation also set to grow. "The most important factor will remain measurable impact," she said.

Dr Ivannikova holds a PhD in Air Transportation Systems and leads the BSc in Aviation Management at DCU Business School. She is also External Examiner for the MSc in Airport Planning and Management at Cranfield University, and her research focuses on geopolitics, sustainable airport design and digital transformation in aviation. She has authored and co-authored four aviation books.

Winners will be announced at the black-tie gala on Thursday, 3 December at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. 

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