In January 2026, 18 newly graduated engineers from the Vietnam Aviation Academy traveled to Xiamen, China, to begin a prestigious international training program with HAECO Group. This milestone marks a major step forward in aligning local academic talent with global aircraft maintenance standards.
The demand for highly qualified aircraft maintenance engineers is rising rapidly as global aviation expands. Responding to this industry need, the Vietnam Aviation Academy (VAA) has hit an impressive milestone. During the January 2026 intake for the HAECO Group’s global training program in Xiamen, China, 18 out of the 24 selected trainees were engineering graduates from VAA. This major achievement highlights the academy’s strong training quality and its ability to prepare students for the international stage.
The opening ceremony in Xiamen was a high-profile event attended by top executive leadership from HAECO Group, including Mr. Ben Scheidel, Group Director of Airframe Services. The presence of senior executives emphasizes just how much importance HAECO places on this training partnership. It also shows a clear corporate confidence in the professional foundation provided by VAA. Before launching this program, HAECO team members visited the VAA campus directly to recruit and hand-pick candidates who met their strict requirements for technical skill, language fluency, and discipline.
The training program itself is highly structured, offering a clear four-year pathway to career success. Trainees spend two years in advanced professional training combined with two years of hands-on vocational experience. Through a rotational model, the engineers balance rigorous classroom learning at internationally accredited facilities with real-world, on-the-job training (OJT) in active hangars. Under the careful guidance of experienced mentors, these young professionals are working toward receiving internationally recognized licenses that meet both CAAV (Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam) and HKCAD (Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department) standards, which will grant them official aircraft sign-off authority.
This initiative is a direct, practical outcome of the academy’s strategy to closely connect university education with major industry enterprises. By sending its graduates into world-class training programs, VAA reinforces its role as a premier supplier of high-quality human resources for the global aviation sector. Looking ahead, HAECO has already announced plans to continue its campus recruitment at VAA throughout 2026. This ongoing relationship gives current and future engineering students a steady, reliable pathway to build international careers and keep global skies safe.
