Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to the Thailand’s Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) to collaborate on the training of pilots and maintenance training. The two will identify means of deeper cooperation for training aviation professionals in Thailand, subsequent to an existing arrangement where Airbus is working with CATC on basic maintenance training. The overall intention of the collaboration is to support the development of Thailand’s aviation industry by ensuring that there is a steady supply of pilots, engineers and mechanics for the country’s airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centres. According to Airbus’ Global Services Forecast 2018 there will be a need for 220,000 new pilots and more than 260,000 new technicians in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 20 years.
“We are pleased to sign this MoU with the CATC, which is Thailand’s leading aviation training institute. Thailand is an important partner for Airbus, as well as one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the region. This allows us to work together to provide the highest levels of training needed to meet the increasing need for qualified aviation professionals in the country,” said Jean-Francois Laval, Executive Vice President, Asia, Airbus.
Rear Admiral Piya Atmungkun, President, Civil Aviation Training Center, said: “We are pleased to sign this MOU and deepen our strong relationship with Airbus in the areas of maintenance training and ab initio pilot training. The combination of Airbus’ world-class expertise and the CATC’s understanding of the requirements of Thailand’s aviation industry means that this has the potential to become a highly successful and long-standing partnership.”
