Opportunities Post AIFMD – The Sky Is The Limit

Ireland, as you would expect from a domicile that services over 40% of the world's alternative investment products, was in the vanguard when it came to the implementation of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ("AIFMD"). At the time of writing there are over 127 Alternative Investment Fund Managers ("AIFMs") regulated in Ireland, with in excess of 2,000 AIFs.

While we can certainly expect the number of AIFs domiciled in Ireland with so called "traditional" alternative asset classes to increase in the coming months, some of the more progressive AIFMs have been seeking out fresh asset classes, in order to utilise the robust framework provided by regulated AIFs. In this regard, the aviation sector may offer an asset class that will appeal to investors' growing appetites.