Yeongju to Host the 8th National Aircraft Maintenance Skills Competition

The Only National Civil-Military Competition... From the 10th to the 12th

Business Agreement Signed with the Korea Aerospace Industries Association

From the 10th to the 12th, Yeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province will host the 8th National Aircraft Maintenance Skills Competition for three days at Gyeongbuk Aviation High School in Punggi-eup (Principal Choi Jongchil).

This competition, co-hosted by North Gyeongsang Province and Yeongju City, is organized by Gyeongbuk Technopark and Gyeongbuk Aviation High School, with support from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Republic of Korea Air Force, Republic of Korea Army, Human Resources Development Service of Korea, and T’way Air.

During the opening ceremony on the 10th, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was also signed between Yeongju City, the Korea Aerospace Industries Association (Chairman Kang Guyoung), and Gyeongbuk Aviation High School (Principal Choi Jongchil) to promote the National Aircraft Maintenance Skills Competition.

The agreement includes provisions for the Korea Aerospace Industries Association to provide field trips to aircraft development sites for trainees in the aerospace sector and to discover employment opportunities linked to industry-academia cooperation for outstanding participants, thereby enhancing the status of the National Aircraft Maintenance Skills Competition.

Since 2017, the National Aircraft Maintenance Skills Competition has been held annually and is the only nationwide aircraft maintenance competition jointly participated in by both the civilian and military sectors. Experts in aircraft maintenance participate to showcase technologies that contribute to the advancement of aviation, share maintenance know-how, and offer aspiring aircraft maintenance engineers opportunities to acquire new skills.

This year’s competition will kick off with the opening ceremony on the 10th, with about 150 participants from 29 teams, including high schools, universities, the general public, the Air Force, and the Army from across the country, competing individually or in teams.

Prior to the competition, Gyeongbuk Aviation High School provided participants with a pre-training program, giving them the opportunity to learn about equipment and competition procedures that might be difficult to practice at their own institutions, through a two-night, three-day training session.

Notably, the top seven performers in this competition will be granted the privilege of participating in the national team selection for the International Skills Olympics to be held in Shanghai, China in 2026.

Additionally, 12 outstanding performers from the high school and university divisions will be awarded the National Technical Qualification Certificate for Craftsman, issued by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, and five top performers from the high school, university, and general divisions will receive airline tickets from T’way Air.

Mayor Park Namseo stated, "Yeongju City is a cradle for nurturing aircraft maintenance professionals, and I hope this competition provides a stage for participants to fully demonstrate the skills they have honed. I especially hope that the signing of the MOU with the Korea Aerospace Industries Association will further advance the competition, and I ask for continued interest and support from the aviation community for Yeongju City as a hub of aircraft maintenance education."