Vietnam calls on Dutch support to boost national aviation capacity

09 December 2016 Consultancy.uk

Vietnam has reached out to a consortium of Dutch aviation experts, as well as support from the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, to provide expert know-how to drive the country’s aviation ambition. The move is part of Vietnam's broader roadmap to become a regional aviation hub.

Vietnam has, in recent decades, transformed its economy to become one of the more prosperous South East Asian economies for its people; a recent BCG report highlights the country’s above the mark performance in turning wealth into well-being. The country too has managed to rapidly expand its general wealth, with average GDP growth at around 6.5% over the past 20 years. The economic growth has increased its domestic and international demand for air travel, in line with overall growth to the region’s market.

In a bid to improve the country’s capacity and performance in aviation, the Vietnamese Government, as part of its wider economic development plans, has introduced a number of liberalising policy measures. Projects include the development of Vietnam’s aviation infrastructure into a regional hub for both passengers and cargo – with Vietnam Airlines, a SkyTeam member, earmarked to become a major force on the global aviation stage.

To support the country’s ambitions, the Dutch Aviation Vietnam (DAV)*, as well as experts from the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (NMIE), are taking part in the joint Dutch-Vietnamese Government programme to cooperate on aviation and airport development in Vietnam. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and DAV recently formalised their relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MoU will see the DAV and NMIE transfer know-how for attracting and managing private investment, related to financing, development and operation of large civil (airport) infrastructure projects. The programme also focuses on wider capacity building for the Vietnamese Aviation industry.

NACO, a Royal HaskoningDHV subsidiary, will provide leadership to DAV. Remarking on the MoU, NACO Chairman, Craig Huntbatch, says, “The entire South East Asian region is an important region for aviation development due to the growth in travel. Vietnam is of particular importance, because of the high GDP growth and the recent signing of trade agreements with the EU and US. This will accelerate the flow of travel and tourism which means that airport infrastructure will need to be adapted in parallel to meet this demand.”

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Nienke Trooster, adds, “The partnership between the Dutch and Vietnamese airlines, airports and aviation service providers will contribute to Vietnam’s ambition to become a regional hub for both passenger and cargo services. Vietnam has the potential to develop into the gateway to ASEAN.”

* A number of key Dutch companies representing the Netherlands’ expertise in civil aviation research and development, education, management and operations, including NACO and InterVISTAS, both companies of Royal HaskoningDHV, and Vanderlande, Netherlands Aerospace Group, STRATAGEM, Districon, Ciconia Aviation Services, MovingDot and Avia.