Popular aviation influencer Shaun Dunne lifts lid on his new role after landing Dublin Airport gig - as he reveals details of next move in his highly ambitious plan...

Published: 20:04, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 20:07, 5 August 2026 Like most Leaving Certificate students, Shaun Dunne headed straight to Dublin Airport after finishing his final exam. The difference was, he wasn’t catching a flight. Instead, the teenager sat a job interview that evening – the first step towards his lifelong ambition of becoming a pilot. By the following Monday, he was already in uniform, beginning training as a passenger service agent.  ‘No summer break here,’ he laughs.  Shaun, 19, is known to thousands of travellers through his popular social media page, Shaun’s Aviation.  What began as a schoolboy fascination with radio scanners developed into one of Ireland’s best-known independent sources for aviation news and travel updates.  Shaun, 19, is known to thousands of travellers through his popular social media page, Shaun’s Aviation Nearly three years on, the account has almost 32,000 followers. Now, he’s swapped the grass mound outside the airport fence for a desk inside Terminal 2. ‘Pilot is still the aim,’ he says.  ‘But this job is a step in the door.  The role offers more than valuable experience.  It’s also helping him save towards an ambition he knows comes with a hefty price tag.  Commercial pilot training can cost tens of thousands of euro without securing a cadetship.  Shaun's followers - and especially plane spotters - love his content, such as this photo he took of this eneormous Antanov AN-124 cargo transporter at Dublin Airport a year ago today  ‘It’s quite an expensive career if I can’t get a cadetship or anything like that,’ he says.  ‘So I’m saving money to become a pilot.’ His first week in the role was, in his words, ‘interesting’.  After completing a month of training, he finally stepped onto the terminal floor as a member of staff.  ‘Today was my first time working by myself,’ he says. For now, he’s working on the check-in desks and once his security documentation arrives, he’ll move on to boarding passengers, making announcements and dealing with whatever the day brings. Balancing his airport job with his online following hasn’t proved as difficult as many might expect.  Shaun has already established clear boundaries.  What began as a schoolboy fascination with radio scanners developed into one of Ireland’s best-known independent sources for aviation news and travel updates ‘There’s only so much I can mention about my job online,’ Shaun told the Mail of his new Dublin Airport job ‘There’s only so much I can mention about my job online,’ he says.  ‘I just don’t name the airlines I work with or the company I work for.’ Dublin airport, he says, is ‘somewhat strict’ when it comes to branding and security-sensitive information, but he’s careful to stick to publicly available information.  ‘It’s more just open information,’ he says. His online reputation has followed him into the workplace. ‘A good few of my colleagues follow me,’ he says.  ‘I’d be known quite well around the airport.’ It’s not goodbye , just see you later AN-124🫡😓What a day out at Dublin Airport🙌🏻#aviation #avgeek #DublinAirport #Ireland #antonov #Planes #Travel pic.twitter.com/OXY6cFM9Jp Passengers recognise him too, particularly during periods of disruption when his social media updates become an important source of information. ‘If people can’t get in touch with the airlines, or there’s a lack of information, I’m always happy to help,’ he says. Despite building a huge loyal audience, he insists Shaun’s Aviation remains a hobby rather than a career, but one he will ‘definitely keep up’. And he’s still helping passengers.  The only difference being he gets to do it in person. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.