Eiblin McGrath - daa International

Eibhín McGrath

daa International Alumnus | Compliance & Sustainability Transformation Manager | daa Cork Airport (2016–2024)

Eibhlín Mc Grath’s journey with daa International spans from Cork to Riyadh, and from consultancy to certification. With over three decades in aviation, she shares how her experience across projects in the Philippines and Saudi Arabia shaped not only her career but the safety standards of emerging airports across the Kingdom.

Tell us about your role and journey with daa International.

I first began supporting daa International in 2016 from Cork Airport, contributing to bid campaigns and helping develop and deliver modules for the Graduate and Operations Excellence programmes. I later joined full-time for six months to develop the Aboitiz safety manuals and eventually took a secondment to Red Sea International Airport in Saudi Arabia. That secondment evolved into my appointment as Head of Safety, Compliance and Regulation, where I helped submit Red Sea International Airport’s (RSI) certification to GACA, set up the Safety Office, and implement its Business Continuity Programme. It was a transformative project, and I’m proud to have been part of it.

What project or initiative are you most proud of?

Definitely Red Sea International Airport. Being part of the team from bid development to leading airport safety and certification was an incredible journey. RSI is now seen by Saudi regulators as a model of operational excellence. We were one of the first outside companies to open and run a KSA airport, facing challenges, forging connections, and contributing to real change. Working in such a diverse team, onsite every day, made it a rewarding and culturally rich experience.

Can you describe a moment when you overcame a major operational, cultural or leadership challenge?

Safety Just Culture: this is a critical factor in aviation and is a major factor in daa’s airports Safety Management Systems. The RSI and Red Sea Global teams are made up of a lot of international personnel from many different cultures, a large proportion of them would have not experienced “Just Culture”. This is something that will take some years to get to the same level as Cork and Dublin Airport’s, but there was a lot of effort from day one to instill this culture in our way of operating, reporting and handling incidents. It started with training and then it’s about those teams seeing how we work through incidents/reports. It takes time to build up this trust, but it is definitely on the right track.

How did your time with daa International Shape your professional growth?

My daa International journey has given me the opportunity to share over thirty year’s aviation experience, and it gave me an opportunity to challenge and stretch myself. I have found that daa International really championed me, my competencies and how I could share my aviation knowledge. Today, I’m working in Cork Airport as Sustainability Transformation Manager, applying leadership, stakeholder engagement, and process development skills I refined internationally.

What advice would you give to someone starting at daa International?

Say yes! Embrace opportunities as they arise. Working across cultures, countries, and airport models will push you but it’s where the best learning happens.

Any Standout Challenge you overcame?

Building a Safety Just Culture at Red Sea International. Many of the international team members hadn’t worked in environments with those principles, so it took trust-building, training, and leading by example. It’s an ongoing journey but we laid the foundations.

What makes daa International unique?

Its diversity. You get to work with top-tier aviation professionals across the globe each bringing different perspectives and strengths. That’s a rare and valuable environment.