Vietnam Airlines and CAE Evaluate Additional Simulator Infrastructure in 2026

Vietnam & Canada – Vietnam Airlines and CAE have signed a new strategic cooperation agreement covering aviation personnel training, simulator-system maintenance and technical support, advanced simulation technologies and evaluation of investment opportunities in additional simulation infrastructure.

• Vietnam Airlines’ existing training complex comprises four Full Flight Simulators, historically established as two Airbus A320/A321-family devices, one Airbus A350 FFS and one Boeing 787 FFS. The airline introduced its first CAE-manufactured A320 simulator, VN001, in 2012 before signing a 2016 agreement covering three further devices for A320-family, A350 and Boeing 787 training.
• The new agreement was concluded during Vietnam's September 2026 visit to Canada and was disclosed by Vietnam Airlines on September 26. Its scope includes aviation personnel training, maintenance and technical support for simulator systems, research into advanced simulation technologies and assessment of opportunities to invest in additional simulator infrastructure supporting future fleet requirements.
• Vietnam Airlines reports that its simulator system currently records tens of thousands of training hours annually and supports approximately 2,500 pilot training instances across recurrent, type-rating and upgrade programs. The devices are used for the airline's own requirements as well as training for domestic and international customers.
• The A350 and Boeing 787 devices already have a long-term operating framework in place. Vietnam Airlines and CAE extended their cooperation covering those two Full Flight Simulators in March 2024 through the end of 2033. The same 2024 agreement also confirmed CAE FFS capability covering the Airbus A321, A350 and Boeing 787 at the airline's Flight Training Center.
• Vietnam Airlines is preparing for a larger fleet-development cycle that includes a project for 50 new narrowbody aircraft during 2030-2032 and plans to lease approximately 20 additional narrowbodies for 2027-2028. The airline has separately identified acquisition of 30 widebody aircraft after 2030 as a strategic project and signed a September 2026 MoU covering five additional Airbus A350-900s for delivery in 2033-2034.

About Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines is Vietnam's flag carrier and operates domestic and international services using Airbus A320/A321-family aircraft, Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s. At its June 2026 annual shareholders meeting, the airline reported operating approximately 105 aircraft, including 31 widebodies comprised of 14 Airbus A350s and 17 Boeing 787s.

About CAE
CAE is a Canada-headquartered aviation training and simulation company providing training services, Full Flight Simulators, other training devices and digital training solutions for civil and defense aviation customers. CAE's civil aviation network includes more than 300 Full Flight Simulators across more than 70 training locations globally.

Source: Vietnam Airlines