Max Buerger, head of Alpha Aviation Group, has written a great article looking into Vietnam’s airline industry, an industry that is entering a very exciting time in history.
Mr Buerger feels the announcement made by Vietjet Air, Vietnam’s first private budget airline, that it will double its passengers in 2016, is excellent news for Vietnam’s civil aviation industry.
Vietnamese airlines are looking to capitalise on the low prices of crude oil, with Vietjet already planning to buy 12 new planes to add to the 9 bought last year. Within the next five years, it would have owned 100 planes.
This development is not just going to immensely benefit the industry, but it comes as welcome news for the country’s budding pilots. As airlines get bigger and fare better when it comes to profits, pilots will become the central figure behind this much welcome boom.
Currently, there is a shortage of pilots, especially local ones within the Vietnamese commercial aviation sector. This has led to most investment going into foreign talent. 360 of 800 pilots of Vietnam Airlines are non-Vietnamese and the number rises to 95% when looking at Jetstar Pacific Airlines air crew. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has even urged the government to increase the retirement age of pilots to be increased in order to deal with this national shortage.
As a country with a staggering youth population (40 million people aged below 24), Vietnam has been investing a lot in science and technology. This should lead to more interest in aviation and the nation has the potential to meet the pilot demands across the Asia Pacific region.
This shortage can’t be solved in isolation by the government, private sector or the airlines, but rather requires that the pilot training infrastructure is bettered. Regional flight training schools will be especially pivotal.
By 2034, Boeing will require an additional 558,000 commercial pilots to cater to its expanding global fleet. A major portion of that number is expected to come from Asia, which gives Vietnam authorities another reason to invest more in high-end pilot training modules.
Vietnamese government can do its bit by inspiring youngsters to follow the path of science and technology. Opportunities will keep coming their way, it’s up to the nation now to capitalise on them.
Alpha Aviation Group is a leading Asian pilot training provider that has the likes of entrepreneur and businessman Bhanu Choudhrie amongst its board of directors.
No comments:
Post a Comment