BAA Training Vietnam to start 2020 with 90% of utilization

New aviation training centre in Vietnam, BAA Training Vietnam, looks back on 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 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 at the end of the third quarter.

Within three months of operations, BAA Training Vietnam used more than 1400 hours of the full flight simulator 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. 

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam in 2018 Vietnam’s state-run airports served 103,5 M passengers with the prediction to reach 112 M passengers this year. However, aviation experts at the International Aviation Expo held in Ho Chi Minh City claimed that the global aviation industry’s serious shortage of skilled professionals has reached unprecedented levels. Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam reports that Vietnamese airlines currently operate 170 aircraft, however, the number will rise up to 200 by 2020, which will require an increase of 200 pilots annually.

“Vietnam is experiencing an evident pilot shortage – 70% of pilots in Vietnam airlines are ex-pats. With our first simulator of four planned, BAA Training Vietnam has not only a possibility to give the airlines an extra capacity of 7300 FFS hours per year for their pilot training, but more importantly, to give an opportunity for the local self-sponsored pilots to gain Airbus A320 type rating qualification and start their career at airline”, comments Vytautas Jankauskas, General Manager at BAA Training Vietnam. 

BAA Training Vietnam training centre is designed to accommodate 4 full flight simulators in total, as the first one is successfully operating, the second, Airbus A320neo full flight simulator has already reached the training centre and is being assembled. It is scheduled to have it ready for training at the beginning of 2020.