Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company (VNH South), affiliated to Vietnam Helicopter Corporation, is one of the leading helicopter service providers in Southeast Asia. Since its establishment, VNH South has always striven to fulfil its military duties and business operation while maintaining complete safety for the past 30 years.
Set up on March 11, 1985, VNH South has conducted more than 250,000 flight hours with a spotless safety record. This is the greatest achievement for VNH South in particular and for Vietnam helicopter service industry in general. Moreover, the company has also actively expanded its business internationally by exporting aircraft, pilots and technicians to operate in countries such as Norway, Malaysia, East Timor and India. The expansion not only generates financial benefits, but more importantly it supports the company’s reputation in the international market. Together with outstanding business result, VNH South has also successfully accomplished military missions, for example operating special flights, performing guard duty and observation as well as protecting the sovereignty of the nation’s waters. These successes are attributed to VNH South’s determination to develop human resources and to invest in infrastructure to attain objectives.
Focus on infrastructure investment
Despite having very limited resources at the inception with only two MI-8 helicopters received from the army, the company has grown drastically and is currently operating a sophisticated fleet of more than 20 fully offshore configured helicopters such as AW-189, EC-225, Super Puma L2, EC-155B1, MI-172 and MI-17-1V as well as an integrated ground facility system with international standard terminals, runways, aprons and hangars.
In its fleet development strategy, VNH South is purchasing new twin-engine, medium-range AW-189 helicopters manufactured by AgustaWestland (Italy). This is one of the most modern helicopters of its kind, capable of fully meeting various flying requirements from customers, particularly from offshore oil & gas companies. Under the plan, the company will receive the first AW-189 in November 2015 and the second one in 2016. The first helicopter will be put into commercial operation in Vietnam in early 2016.
With the new AW-189 helicopters, VNH South hopes to diversify and modernise the fleet to further improve service quality, to meet more and more stringent requirements from oil & gas customers as well as to fulfil other tasks.
Human-centred development
According to Captain Le Trong Dong, Director of VNH South, one of the most important factors in this success is highly qualified and richly experienced human resources. Currently, VNH South is managing 70 pilots, with 20 pilots accumulating more than 10,000 flying hours, and over 120 technicians. The pilots are all thoroughly taught and trained from basic to advanced knowledge in both domestic and foreign courses. Thanks to its breakthrough in pilot training co-operation with the Nha Trang Air Force University (affiliated to Vietnam People’s Air Defence – Air Force) and Vietnam Helicopter Training Centre (affiliated to Vietnam Helicopter Corporation), VNH South is able to provide pilot trainees with the quickest information on and access to new generation helicopters. Apart from learning, the company’s pilots always strive to accumulate experience and practise flying skills in real life to satisfy increasing requirements from oil and gas customers and ensure safe flight operations.
The company also pays due attention to developing its technician team from its founding. Not only regularly attending overseas training courses to access new advanced technologies and techniques in the world, technicians always strictly follow maintenance procedures and regulations to make sure that the helicopters are operated in the best conditions with minimum risks.
Ground staff and air traffic controllers are fully qualified and strictly compliant with airport and flight regulations. The firm has also promoted internal training to reduce costs while maintaining training quality.
In its future development strategy, the company will continue to boost investment, modernise the helicopter fleet and develop high-quality human resources in order to fulfil military tasks, effectively support oil and gas exploration and production operations and maintain its position as one of the leading helicopter service providers in Southeast Asia.
Truong Thanh
Vietnamese
