According to Vietnam Briefing e-newspaper, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that Vietnam has the third-fastest growing international aviation passenger numbers in the world, expected to reach 63 million by 2020.

The booming presents the urgent need for more pilots within the sector. 

However, the current shortage of pilots, and specifically Vietnamese pilots, within the Vietnamese commercial aviation sector is evident. Vietnamese airlines continually have to invest in foreign talent as a means of maintaining operations.

The current pilot training resources and infrastructure is simply insufficient to produce the capacity currently needed.

Outsourcing pilot training will enable airlines to secure more efficient, cost-effective training programmes, with pilot training schools offering specific skills and expertise in the field. There have been a few agreements signed.

Vietnam Aerospace Engineering Services JSC and Airways New Zealand and Eagle Flight Company signed an agreement to set up a pilot training school, offering private aeroplane pilot in Vietnam with articulation for a civil pilot in New Zealand. The Viet Flight training school aims to train 300 pilots per year until 2020, and recruit students not only from Vietnam but also from other countries like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The Ministry of Transport's Vietnam Aviation Academy signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Malaysia's D'viation Group in March 2016 to develop a joint training programme for future junior instructors to meet European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, develop and implement the Technical English Language Competency Training programme, improve the standards of current workshops, training aids and aircraft system simulators and share training experiences.

Sources

http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/a-golden-opportunity-for-vietnams-budding-aviators.html/
http://www.baodanang.vn/english/education-science/201604/viet-nam-signs-deal-with-malaysia-academy-for-aviation-training-2478518/

Commentary from Lien Ta – Assistant Director, Education Services

According to the Director of Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), pilot training quality in Vietnam has yet to meet requirements in the context of modernisation and globalisation. Even though Vietnamese pilots are spending billions of VND on training overseas, between 15 and 20 per cent of them fail to complete their training due to strict foreign language requirements and physical health minimums.

Besides pilot training, other aviation staff can be trained at 13 institutions in Vietnam, five of which are run by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines. The Vietnam Aviation Academy (VAA), which was originally established as VN Aviation Vocational School in 1978, is the largest of its kind in Vietnam. VAA offer majors in aviation business administration, aviation electronics & telecommunications, air traffic management as well as technical vocational and short-term courses. Since last year, VAA has strengthened its international collaboration activities with foreign education partners from New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia.

Other aviation training institutions have also received collaboration and support from countries such as Australia and France. In December 2015, Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) signed a commercial agreement with Viet Flight training school to provide flight training for Vietnamese cadet pilots in Australia. Before that, in 2009, the training school also received training support from Airbus and France’s ESMA Aviation Academy.

So far it seemed that no UK training institutions in aviation have established any collaboration work in this area in Vietnam.

Any enquiries relating to partnerships opportunities in aviation education, please contact Lien Ta at lien.ta@britishcouncil.org.vn.