The abrupt closing of a U.S. pilot training program being attended by 79 Vietnamese pilot trainees who are now out $80,000 a piece after its abrupt closure.
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According to Tuoi Tre, the pilot trainees were enrolled at Ahart Aviation Training Center in California which was suspended on October 6, 2014 for failing to meet safety standards.
Only six of the trainees, 21 of who had been sent by VietJet Air to attend the course, had completed the program when the owner fled.
As the rest of the trainees were paying the full-cost of the program on their own, the deputy General Director of Vietnam Airlines said that the company would cover 50% of the cost for them to reenroll in a similar course so they can finish their certification.
While an unfortunate occurrence, it’s unclear how many of the trainees would have completed the program. VietJet Air’s Deputy Director, Nguyen Duc Tam, told DTI News that only 15 - 20% of pilot trainees graduate from their overseas training courses due to “strict foreign language requirements and physical health minimums.”
As a result, many local airlines are forced to hire foreign pilots to operate their aircraft.
An AviationCV report from 2013 found that 360 of Vietnam Airlines’ 800 pilots were non-Vietnamese nationals and that, “...up to 40 foreign pilots work at Air Mekong, 50 at VietJet Air, and 58 at Jetstar Pacific Airlines, where they constitute close to 95 percent of total air crew," wrote the aviation company.
Top photo of Vietnam Airlines pilots for illustrative purposes only.
