Business

Atlantic Aviation Group buys Co Clare property for staff accommodation

Company is turning former Jamaica Inn hostel into co-living accommodation

From left: Colm O'Gorman, Lymar Contracts; Colette Bullock, HR business partner AAG; and Edward Manley, head of production AAG viewing the work in progress at Sixmilebridge. Photograph: Eamon Ward

Ciara O'Brien
Thu Feb 1 2024 - 07:44

Shannon-based Atlantic Aviation Group (AAG) has bought a vacant property in Co Clare that it plans to turn into co-living accommodation for newly hired staff.

The aircraft maintenance company said the move was in response to to difficulties its workers have had in finding housing in the area.

The property, which was bought by a subsidiary of AAG, is at the site of the former Jamaica Inn hostel, close to the company’s operations centre in Shannon Airport. The accommodation includes 36 en suite bedrooms for employees, along with shared recreation areas, livingrooms, kitchens and gardens.

The co-living space will be offered to new hires to ease the pressure of finding housing in the short- to medium-term.

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“Employees everywhere are struggling to find accommodation and this is our way of assisting our employees to find their feet as they start into their roles,” AAG chief executive Shane O’Neill said.

“The accommodation is not intended as a long-term solution but will prove invaluable in its role in giving employees a housing option when they start.”

AAG currently employs 750 people in Ireland. Owner Patrick Jordan acquired AAG, formerly known as Transaero, in 2015. The company subsequently acquired the Lufthansa Technik Shannon business from its German parent Lufthansa Technik in 2021, adding 300 staff to its workforce.

“Like all employers, I and the AAG leadership team have observed and shared the journey that our people take to find suitable housing and accommodation. In the current market, that has proved to be a somewhat frustrating experience, with a scarcity of accommodation and high rent levels,” said Mr Jordan.

“In providing rental accommodation for our new hires who need somewhere to live, we are giving our people the best possible chance to settle into their new roles right away and familiarise themselves with more long-term housing options.”

[ Living on Ryanair road: Would you really want your boss to be your landlord? ]

AAG’s move follows the news that Ryanair had bought a number of properties at a development close to Dublin Airport to rent to staff. The airline confirmed last week that it had bought 25 newly-built units in Fosterstown, Swords, to provide affordable rents for new cabin crew in Dublin Airport, where it operates up to 33 aircraft.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist

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