First digital aerial ecology survey of Irish coastal waters to begin as a specialist plane arrived into Cork Airport 

The €1.5 million twin-engine Diamond Air DA42 aircraft will be used to survey thousands of square miles of ocean

The special mission aircraft is owned by Green Rebel Group who are leading efforts to establish Cork Harbour as a Green Energy Hub, beginning with a new partnership between themselves, Cork Airport, the Atlantic Flight Training Academy and Weston Aviation. 

Green Rebel Group acquired the aircraft to undertake ecological assessments as part of the planning process for marine renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms. 

The €1.5 million twin-engine Diamond Air DA42 aircraft will be used to survey thousands of square miles of ocean. The DA-42 is the most environmentally-friendly aircraft of its class on the market, in keeping with Green Rebel Group’s mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels. 

The aircraft will be permanently based at Cork Airport.

With the purchase of this aircraft, Green Rebel Group will be the only domestic Irish company offering digital aerial surveys for ecological assessments associated with marine renewable energy projects. Green Rebel has partnered with AFTA, which will be the specialist operator (SPO) for the aircraft. The aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation hangar at Cork Airport. Its arrival has resulted in the creation of 15 direct jobs, and there are plans for further job creation over the coming years, which will ensure Cork is one of the leading players in the green energy sector.

Each aerial survey flight will generate terabytes of high-quality imagery. In order to store, process, and backup this data, Green Rebel Group has also built a world-class marine data centre. The high-spec server and supporting IT infrastructure are housed in a secure location at the Cork Airport Business Park.  The data will be used to map the abundance of marine wildlife, which is critical to ensure wind farms are built in the most suitable locations.

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Green Rebel Group to Cork Airport. Covid-19 has provided us with opportunities to diversify our business into new areas supporting cargo, offshore gas and wind operations. As a key economic enabler for the region, Cork Airport will play a big role in the economic recovery ahead. The addition of the Green Rebel Group aircraft based here at Cork Airport will help create new job opportunities particularly in the green energy sector. The Green Rebel Marine Diamond Aviation 42 aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation Hangar at Cork Airport and we wish them every success in this exciting new offshore wind venture.”