The hiring demand of airlines in Hanoi is expected to surge in the first quarter of 2024 as the tourism industry is on its way back to the growth impulses before the Covid-19 pandemic, said Vu Quang Thanh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Employment Service Center under the city's Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

"The aviation industry is thirsty for human resources as the air transport and tourism markets have recovered and some projects to set up new airlines are in the pipeline," Thanh said.

In job transactions in early 2024, aviation industry enterprises expressed the need to recruit for a variety of positions. "Vietnam Aviation Professional Training Joint Stock Company wanted to hire 310 people for 16 positions, while Skyteam Human Resources Academy Joint Stock Company needs 160," Thanh said. 

A Vietnamese student undergoes pilot training in a flight simulator cockpit. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Commenting on the aviation industry's high recruitment needs, Truong Thi Phuong, Head of the Flight Training Centre of Vietnam Aviation Academy Joint Stock Company, said that by 2030, Vietnam will have about 30 airports. "Long Thanh Airport in the southern region of Vietnam alone needs 16,000 workers," Phuong added.

Sharing the same idea, Phan Thi Man, Director of admissions at Skyteam Human Resources Academy Joint Stock Company, said: "Considering our need to recruit trainees, the recent job sessions jointly conducted by Hanoi Employment Service Centre are a good opportunity for us to find quality candidates."

Meanwhile, Tran Thi Thai Binh, Head of the Air Transport Economics Department at the Vietnam Aviation Academy, said there is great demand for aviation professionals at some airlines and major airports such as Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, the under-construction Long Thanh Airport and others.

"The aviation industry currently employs around 44,000 people in transport, ground, and flight operations. However, the workforce is insufficient to meet the industry's growing needs. The demand for human resources will continue to rise, especially from 2024 to 2030," Binh said.

"We are not only facing a shortage of labor, but also a shortage of quality and skilled personnel. The Vietnam Aviation Academy has announced plans to provide training in more than 20 majors at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, covering all activities such as technical practices, aviation operations, transport economics and aviation services," Binh added.

Bamboo Airways announces job vacancies as it expands its network. The airline is looking for pilots, flight attendants, technicians, and departmental staff.

The fast-growing airline is offering a maximum salary of up to US$13,300 per month for the captain of a wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner and US$8,000 for a co-pilot. Captains and co-pilots of narrow-body aircraft would earn around $10,450 and $6,300 respectively. These salaries are higher than the market average. Since 2022, the airline has been recruiting flight attendants, offering a monthly income of up to $1,500 for a five-star flight attendant and $3,000 for a senior flight attendant.

A representative of Vietravel Airlines, a newcomer, said it was also recruiting pilots for its Airbus A320s and cabin crew as international routes are restored. This move is aimed at rolling out the expansion plan to six aircraft and operating new international routes to Northeast and Southeast Asia from the third quarter.

According to Bui Minh Dang, Deputy Head of the Air Transport Department under the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the restoration of aviation and tourism activities has been sped up. “The international flight network has been also gradually recovering and expanding.” 

Passengers check-in for their flights at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo: Nguyen Minh/The Hanoi Times

Vietnam's aviation industry is expected to see growth in passenger traffic to 80.3 million in 2024, an increase of 7.1% from last year's figures, according to the CAAV forecast.

The forecast includes 38.5 million domestic passengers and 41.8 million international passengers, an increase of 30.6% compared to 2023.

The CAAV believes that the market is showing good signs of recovery and may consider licensing new airlines soon.

Vietnamese airlines have fully restored flights to traditional markets and expanded operations to Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia. In particular, flights to China and Russia resumed in 2023, despite some restrictions.

Vietnamese airlines also intensified operations in the Indian market, carrying 920,000 passengers in 2023, almost 15 times more than in the pre-Covid-19 pandemic period, and in the Australian market with 913,000 passengers in 2023, a 40% increase compared to 2019.

Currently, some 63 foreign airlines and five Vietnamese airlines operate flights from Vietnam with 169 scheduled and charter routes connecting 28 countries and territories in North America, Europe, China, East Asia, and Africa to popular Vietnamese destinations such as Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, and Da Lat.

The domestic network consists of 66 domestic routes connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang to 19 other local airports with more than 600 flights per day. In addition to the existing routes, Vietnamese airlines also launched new routes in 2023, such as Can Tho-Van Don, Hanoi-Ca Mau, and Ho Chi Minh City-Dien Bien.

According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the aviation workforce would grow rapidly to handle a two to fourfold increase in passenger traffic over the next two decades.

"The aviation sector could grow by 178% over the next 20 years if it follows pre-pandemic trends. If this were to happen, the industry could contribute $35 billion to the economy and support 2.4 million workers," the report said.