Airbus will contribute US$2.5 million between 2018 and 2023 to establish new aviation degree programmes in Viet Nam.

This commitment follows two agreements inked in Ha Noi between the company and the University of Science and Technology of Ha Noi (USTH) on Tuesday.

The new programmes include a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Maintenance and Engineering Operations course and a Master of Science in International Air Transport Operations programme. The first batch of Vietnamese students will start both courses in September 2018.

“Airbus is pleased to be a partner in this important Vietnamese project, which will set the standard for higher education in the country,” Jean-Francois Laval, Airbus Executive Vice President for Customer Affairs in Asia, said.

“Viet Nam is one of the fastest growing aviation markets, and this will help to educate its future leaders and build up the local expertise and capabilities in the aerospace industry.”

USTH is Viet Nam’s first international public university, established via a bilateral agreement between the country and France in 2009, and with the support of the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), France’s Ministry of Education, the Asian Development Bank, and a consortium of more than 40 leading French universities and research organisations.

The university’s new degree programmes have been established in partnership with VAST, Vietnam Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company, as well as France’s Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC) and Institut Aeronautique et Spatial (IAS). — VNS