VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam should begin developing the aviation manufacturing industry with small and simple steps, experts have said. 

 

The civil aviation manufacturing industry includes three fields – manufacturing equipment for land services; making equipment that serve flight control; and making components and accessories for aircrafts.

Regarding equipment for land services, Vietnam has companies that have made maintenance elevators, passenger elevators and some equipment needed for airports with certain localization ratios. 

According to Pham Ngoc Thao, deputy director of Aerospace Engineering Services Joint Stock Company (AESC), the equipment can satisfy requirements set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). The products can completely be manufactured in Vietnam because they are simple.

As for the second group of products, according to Thao, only Attech now can make lamps for the runaway and some equipment that serve the flight control operation.

Meanwhile, AESC is the only Vietnamese company which can make components for aircraft and provide domestic and regional airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Lao Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air.

“All the products are classic,” Thao said.

The civil aviation manufacturing industry includes three fields – manufacturing equipment for land services; making equipment that serve flight control; and making components and accessories for aircrafts.

Also according to Thao, some other components and accessories are made in Vietnam, but not by Vietnamese companies, but by 100 percent foreign invested enterprises. 

MHIVA, a subsidiary of Japanese Mitsubishi, has inaugurated a factory to assemble the doors to passenger cabin for Boeing 777, located in Thang Long Industrial Zone in Hanoi.

Nikkiso Vietnam, which makes blocker doors of composites for commercial aircraft, is also a 100 percent Japanese owned company. 

In general, it is a difficult job to manufacture aircraft components and accessories.

“It is not because we cannot make some certain products, but we need to organize the production in a way so as to generate products which can satisfy requirements on safety for humans and the environment,” Thao said.

The labor force plays a decisive role in all works. Meanwhile, Vietnamese productivity is just equal to 1/20 of Singapore's.

However, despite big difficulties, Vietnam still dreams of developing the aviation manufacturing industry.

Thao believes that Vietnam has great potential to do this, including the high population of 90 million, which ensures high demand for products, an advantageous geographical position and industrious labor force.

And to develop the industry, Vietnam can begin from doing simple things. “One may think the armrests made by AESC have no value. You may think aircraft just need engine and electronics. And that  is completely wrong,” he said.

An analyst, agreeing with Thao, said that Vietnamese must be practical. “They need to do simple things first, accumulate experience before doing bigger things,” he said.

Dat Viet