Kasem Bundit’s Aviation institute to launch ‘One Stop Total Solutions’

By commencing the pilot and maintenance technician courses to solve the pilot and aircraft technician shortage crisis, APDI aims to be one of the top three aviation academies in the country in order to benchmark into the AEC market. 
Indicative support factors are the growth and lack of manpower in aviation industry. As an academic institute, APDI has strategically seized the opportunity to drive Thailand as the hub of the region.
 Senee Suwandee, Vice President for Planning and Development of Kasem Bundit University said the aviation industry in Thailand and worldwide are growing rapidly, partly due to the tourism promotions in various countries. In addition, air transportation is also encourged through long-term national development poicies. As a result, the aviation industry is expanding tremendously; nevertheless the personnel involved in these careers, especially in Thailand, are insufficient.
 “Air transportation is an industry that has been growing steadily and continuously. Thailand plays an important role in developing commercial aviation in Southeast Asia and the whole continent and Bangkok is considered one of the largest aviation centres in the world. With more than 90 million travellers per year, air traveling is a time-saving alternative which is not only more comfortable but also meets the safety requirements for both passengers and cargo transportation. This is the reason why the airline industry is growing rapidly. Thus the competition between premium and low cost airlines is inevitable,” said Senee.
 The number of commercial flights in Thailand reported by the Department of Airports (2017) has risen sharply from 40,000 in 2010 to 140,000 flights in 2017. The aviation industry is dramatically growing and the number of commercial aircraft needs to be increased.
 Boeing and Airbus companies have predicted the needs for a huge numbers of pilots and aircraft technicians. Airbus has projected that over the next 20 years; there will be a demand for more than 40,000 aircrafts. More than 530,000 pilots and 550,000 aircraft maintenance technicians will also be required. Boeing has predicted a worldwide demand of more than 40,000 aircrafts, 617,000 pilots, as well as 679,000 aircraft technicians. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has said that personnel requirements including air traffic controllers and aircraft mechanics will rise to 40,000 in the Asian region.
 The Thai government has pushed for airport expansion under the supervision of the Airport Authority of Thailand to accommodate upto 184 million per year.The expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed by 2021. This will enhance passenger capacity of Suvarnabhumi Airport from 45 million to 60 million per year.
 The expansion of U-Tapao International Airport has been approved. It will serve as the third commercial international airports of Thailand as well as the Eastern Special Economic Zone in support of the Eastern Economics Corridor (EEC) area, and link the passenger transportation to Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airport. In the meantime, worldwide airlines are also expanding their businesses and buy more aircrafts.
 In conclusion, the development of the aviation industry has a major impact in terms of its economic and social roles. In other words, the economic growth and expansion of airline fleet are extended tremendously. This leads to the opportunities in the field of careers across all sectors for many Thais. Furthermore, the government has planned to enhance the growth of Thai aviation personnel in the future in order to cope with the increasing demand of the industry. The evidence indicated fierce competition in the industry. Qualified and efficient personnel are required to support the expansion of the plan. 
Thus APDI is launching the first “One Stop Total Solutions” course in Thailand in order to respond to the personnel shortage. By launching the pilot and aircraft maintenance courses, the main purpose is to be one of the top three leading flight aviation academies to tap into the AEC market.
APDI provides three curriculum: Bachelor of Arts in Airline Business, Bachelor of Business Administration in Aviation Industry Management and Master of Arts in Aviation Management. These three programmes have provided the airline industry with well-trained and highly - qualified personnel as well as management executives.
ADPI is also preparing for the following programmes: Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering (Areas of Specialisation: Aircraft Maintenance and Pilot in cooperation with Falcon Aviation School) and the aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul centre to meet the needs.
 APDI considered the crisis of pilot and aircraft technician shortage as a big opportunity for aviation academies. Thus it is positively confident that the courses under this forthcoming future.