The Department of Aeronautics at USTH was established in 2018 in partnership with Airbus, France’s Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC) and Institut Aeronautique et Spatial (IAS), today part of the Aerospace Valley organization in France. Its mission is to train high quality human resources in the fields of maintenance engineering and operation engineering.

Beyond financing the project, Airbus also developed the two aeronautic programs of the Department of Aeronautics including the Bachelor’s program in Aeronautical Engineering and the Master’s program in International Air Transport Operations Management and is still coordinating their implementation until the full autonomy of USTH expected by 2024. Today more than 120 students are enrolled under the two programs.

“Airbus is proud to be a partner in this important Vietnamese project, which is advancing significantly tertiary aerospace education in the country. What we are doing together will help to prepare future industry leaders for this important sector, building up local expertise and capabilities,” said Tri Mai Hoang, Airbus Chief Representative for Vietnam.

Prof. Jean- Marc Lavest, Principal Rector of USTH said: “The aeronautic training programs at USTH are the result of the co-development between the university with Airbus and the other leaders in the French Vietnamese aviation industry. They have been built based on the comprehensive understanding and identifying the needs of human resources of the labor market. The graduation of the first batch of students marks a major milestone in the implementation process and demonstrates the success of the project.”

Airbus has a strong presence in Vietnam, where the A320 Family has become the mainstay of single aisle fleets in the country and is operated by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Bamboo, Viettravel and Pacific Airlines.

In the widebody market, Vietnam Airlines is a leading operator of the new generation A350 long range leader, while Vietjet has recently started to operate the A330.

The company also has a wide range of industrial partnerships in Vietnam. These include long-standing collaborations with Artus Vietnam and Nikkiso Vietnam, with work packages linked to the A320 Family, A330 and A350 programs.

Airbus is also working with FPT Software to strengthen the development of its Skywise digital platform in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes a training system for both third-party users and software developers in Vietnam and the region.

Airbus programs have generated full-time employment for more than 1,500 high skilled workers in Vietnam.

PV