The High Court has rejected a challenge by Irish Skydiving Club CLG and pilot Eoin Nevin to aviation safety inspections carried out at the club’s County Kilkenny airfield.
In a judgment delivered on 19 December 2025, Mr Justice Barr found that the Irish Aviation Authority had lawful authority to conduct unannounced ramp inspections on 26 August and 16 September 2022.
The club operates parachuting flights using two UK-registered G8 Airvan aircraft. Nevin, a club director and administrator, holds an Irish private pilot’s licence and was pilot in command during both inspections.
The first inspection identified several issues. Inspectors found that the checklist produced for parachuting operations was inadequate, that an aeronautical chart on board was out of date and that external door markings were badly faded. Nevin was told not to use the aircraft for parachuting until an adequate checklist was provided.
At the second inspection, Nevin said he would not participate until legal adviser David Byrnes arrived. The court found that this amounted to refusing cooperation and access to the aircraft. Inspectors then grounded aircraft G-VANC. Gardaí attended while the grounding decision was communicated.
Mr Justice Barr held that a regulated person has no right to postpone an unannounced safety inspection until a lawyer arrives. He also found the inspectors acted calmly, professionally and within their powers during both visits.
The court upheld the safety findings and ruled that grounding G-VANC was justified because inspectors had not been shown that the earlier checklist issue had been addressed.
It also found that the Authority acted lawfully when it provisionally suspended Nevin’s pilot’s licence on 23 September 2022 and invited him to make representations. A later investigation was paused after his solicitors asked that it await the outcome of the High Court proceedings.
The court further held that information supplied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority about Nevin’s suspended licence was accurate.
The judge proposed refusing all relief sought by the applicants. Final orders and costs were left for a later hearing.