BAA Training Vietnam Reaches 90 Percent Utilization

BAA Training Vietnam, a new aviation training centre in Vietnam, ends the year with outstanding results of the first quarter of operations as it is about to enter 2020 with 90% utilization of the first Airbus A320 full flight simulator.

The branch of BAA Training Vietnam has been established in Vietnam in 2018 as a response to growing pilot demand in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region. As the construction of modern and spacious 3000-square-meter training facilities has been completed in 2019, BAA Training Vietnam started operating its first Airbus A320ceo full flight simulator (FFS) at the end of the third quarter.

Within three months of operations, BAA Training Vietnam used more than 1400 hours of the FFS, providing wet and dry lease services for such airlines like Bamboo Airways, VietJet, and others. In addition to that, being the first and the only independent aviation training centres in Vietnam, during this time the academy prepared 34 pilots for Airbus A320 aircraft type entering from Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and other countries.

“Vietnam is experiencing anevident pilot shortage – 70% of pilots in Vietnam airlines are ex-pats. Withour first simulator of four planned, BAA Training Vietnam has not only apossibility to give the airlines an extra capacity of 7,300 FFS hours per yearfor their pilot training, but more importantly, to give an opportunity for thelocal self-sponsored pilots to gain Airbus A320 type rating qualification andstart their career at airline,” comments Vytautas Jankauskas, General Managerat BAA Training Vietnam.

BAA Training Vietnamtraining centre is designed to accommodate four full flight simulators intotal, as the first one is successfully operating, the second, an AirbusA320neo full flight simulator, has already reached the training centre and isbeing assembled. It is scheduled to be ready for training at the beginning of2020.

According to the AirportsCorporation of Vietnam, in 2018 Vietnam’s state-run airports served 103.5 milllionpassengers with the prediction to reach 112 million passengers this year.However, aviation experts at the International Aviation Expo claimed that theglobal aviation industry’s serious shortage of skilled professionals hasreached unprecedented levels. Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam reportsthat Vietnamese airlines currently operate 170 aircraft, however, the numberwill rise up to 200 by 2020, which will require an increase of 200 pilotsannually.