During the first Gulf War in 1991, Parc suddenly came to the attention of many Irish people because the agency had recruited hundreds of Irish staff for a hospital it ran in Baghdad. Thirteen years later the American army may be back in Iraq, but Parc no longer has any involvement in either Baghdad or the medical market, and so has dropped out of the public gaze

Chief executive Mr Tim Shattock points out that while most Irish people know little or nothing about Parc and its activities, it has a big reputation abroad. The company describes itself as the "world's leading supplier of human resource solutions" to the aviation industry.

What it does is supply airlines across the world with personnel like pilots and technical staff such as aircraft engineers. Since last year, it has also begun training pilots for airlines to get them the certification they need to fly particular craft, specifically Boeings. In addition, it provides some logistics services to its clients.

Parc Aviation, which is the biggest company in the Parc Group, has performed strongly through the downturn in its industry.

In the year to March 31st, the company turned over €59 million and had a profit before tax of almost €4 million. This was a 5 per cent increase on 2003, but the company does most of its business in dollars, and the unfavourable exchange rate concealed real growth of over 20 per cent.

At this stage, it has 800 people (35 different nationalities) working in 32 countries for 50 clients across the globe. Mr Shattock says it is the largest Irish exporter of goods and services to Japan and Korea. "So we do have a good story to tell," he says.

The story began in Aer Lingus in the late 1970s when the national airline found that it had too many staff and aircraft.

"Aer Lingus got involved in selling and leasing aircraft to airlines around the world," he says. "Parc came out of that in the context of putting surplus Aer Lingus pilots into various airlines which needed a lot of help back then, particularly on the African continent.

"Things grew from there and Parc became a company in its own right and Aer Lingus was the major shareholder, and Parc got involved in various projects. All the time Parc Aviation was building up its business, working with airlines that needed pilots and aircraft engineers, so that was built up very successfully over the years."

In 1995, Parc's management bought the company from Aer Lingus, and it has continued developing its business since then.

"Things are going exceptionally well since, to the point where Parc Aviation has for some years been world leader in its sector, which is providing specialist aviation people to airlines."

The number-two supplier, US-based IASCO, is less than half Parc's size. It has been in the business for 50 years, so it had something of a head start on the Irish company and was the largest operator for many years. Mr Shattock says that extensive sales and marketing and activity in Europe and Asia helped it overtake its longer-established rival eight or nine years ago.

Parc employs the staff and assigns them to its clients.

"For example, an airline may be taking in a new aircraft type, adding it to its existing fleet," Mr Shattock explains.

"So they would talk to us, they may ask us for four or five or six crews (generally a captain and co-pilot) or they may ask us for engineering support to assist with the introduction of that airplane.

"We would then go out and source those pilots or those engineers. We would effectively engage them, and then we lease in those personnel for whatever time they want. It could be two months, it could be six years-plus. That kind of flexibility in the airline business is quite valuable."

While Parc has to find the individuals needed by the airlines, they may also come to them. Mr Shattock explains that airlines will ask them to find assignments for pilots and engineers that they don't need. Central to the whole process is keeping up to date with marketplace intelligence, he says. It also frequently takes pilots that have retired from large airlines in the US and Europe and finds them assignments.

The company has more than 50 clients, including Air Japan, Japan Airlines, Air Asia in Malaysia, Vietnam Airlines, Boeing and Airbus. Mr Shattock says a large number of the company's clients prefer to keep their relationship with Parc quiet.

He says that the company is now at the point where it has begun to introduce additional services. Two years ago, Parc bought a training company, Avtec, which has since become Parc Aviation Training Services. It is now a vehicle to provide services to smaller and start-up airlines. It trains pilots in flying certain aircraft types, including the Boeing 737. Mr Shattock says that the business is "building up nicely".

Parc is currently in talks with Air Asia and is hoping to conclude a deal that will allow it to place newly-trained first officers on the carrier's 737s to give them experience of flying the craft. Parc's acquisition trail may not have ended there, however. The company is looking at what might be available in its market place.

"We're evaluating some opportunities which could be in the near term for us," Mr Shattock says.

"It's possible in the next year to year-and-a-half that we may make an acquisition or acquisitions of smaller companies in our sector."

There are between 30 and 35 providers at the air crew side of Parc's business, and a similar number at the technical services side, most of them are a lot smaller than the Irish company.

"The right opportunity may come up and we're constantly looking at this in terms of the market and what's going on," Mr Shattock says. "We have built up the business organically, but the acquisition of Avtec was important to us even though it was a small acquisition, so if the right one comes up, we'll do it."

Parc Group seriously considered an IPO in 1998 but market conditions put the company off the idea at the time. That is very much off the agenda for the company now, despite the fact that companies are beginning to trickle back to the Irish and other markets after a three-year drought.

"We made a decision in September 1998 to pull the float and to concentrate on building the business and that's where we are now," he says. "There's nothing on the horizon."