REX and AAPA celebrate graduation of first group of Vietnamese caded pilots

On May 12, Regional Express (Rex) will celebrate the graduation of the first group of Vietnamese cadets trained at its pilot academy, the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) in Wagga Wagga, NSW.
After 10 months of intensive training, the cadets are graduating with a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with Instrument Rating – Multi Engine Aeroplane (IR-MEA) issued by CASA. As AAPA is accredited with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam as well as Vietnam Airlines, the graduates will now be eligible for admission into Vietnam Airlines as airline pilots after their aircraft type endorsements. The training at AAPA is the result of a partnership with VFT, a company of Vietnam Airlines, whereby the cadets first undergo theory training to an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) level in Vietnam at VFT before coming to AAPA to undergo their flight training and complete all the CASA theory and flight tests.