Boeing and Vietnam Airlines announced a five-year exclusive pilot-training agreement to support the Hanoi-based airline’s 787 Dreamliners.

Under the agreement, Boeing Flight Services, a business unit of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, will provide flight training for the airline’s new 787 Dreamliner fleet at Boeing’s Singapore training campus. Nearly 90 Vietnam Airlines pilots are expected to undergo training this year.

“With Boeing’s experience and expertise, we are confident that we will have a smooth entry into service with the training and operational support they provide,” said Phan Xuan Duc, executive vice president, Vietnam Airlines. “This expanding cooperation will not only strengthen the relationship between Vietnam Airlines and Boeing, but also provide Vietnam Airlines enough capability to master state-of-the-art technologies and enable Vietnamese pilots to directly operate the most modern aircraft in the world.”

“We are very pleased to provide pilot training to Vietnam Airlines with the industry’s best flight training as they take a very exciting step in expanding their Boeing fleet,” said Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services. “This is just one way we are giving airlines a competitive edge, by creating tailored training solutions so they can focus on what really matters – keeping pilots and airplanes flying revenue flights.”

The 2015 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook, an industry forecast of aviation personnel demand closely tied to projections for new airplane deliveries around the globe, projects a requirement for 226,000 new commercial airline pilots and 238,000 new technicians in the Asia-Pacific region through 2034.

This regional demand is forecasted to be more than North America and Europe combined. As with personnel demand, the Asia region also leads the demand for new commercial airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with 14,330 new airplanes needed by 2034 according to Boeing’s 2015 Current Market Outlook.

Boeing press release