In the aviation industry, every second is precious and every technical decision can affect the safety of millions of passengers. Amidst these pressures, Engineer Nguyen Van Trung, a former student ofUniversity of Science and Technology (DUT) - The University of Danang (UD), asserted the courage and intellect of a Vietnamese person during the '32-hour rescue' campaign for the Airbus A320 fleet at the end of November 2025."

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung is a former student of Class 04CLC, Cohort 2004-2009, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, specialized in Automatic Production, under the Vietnamese - French High-Quality Engineer Training Program (PFIEV) at DUT-UD. PFIEV is an international standard engineer training program that emphasizes systemic thinking ability, working in a multicultural environment, and accessing advanced technology.

The years of study in the PFIEV environment provided Mr. Trung with determination, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills - qualities that became the foundation for his later career.

After graduation, Engineer Trung began his career at VAECO (Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company), where he gained experience in aircraft maintenance and repair according to international standards. From there, Mr. Trung thoroughly understood every technical detail, safety procedure, and the importance of absolute precision.

Currently, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Trung is an aircraft engineer at Vietjet, playing a crucial role in the maintenance and optimization of the Airbus A320/A321 fleet - the airline's main aircraft line.

On November 28, 2025, Airbus and EASA issued an urgent warning: all A319/A320/A321 aircraft must update their ELAC control software before 6:59 AM on November 30, or they would be grounded. With 69 A320/A321 aircraft in Vietjet's fleet, this posed an unprecedented challenge.

According to Tuoi tre Newspaper, based on Airbus's instructions, each aircraft would require 2-3 hours to complete the software update. However, in Danang, Engineer Nguyễn Văn Trung, a former student of UD-DUT with over 15 years of experience, completed all required procedures in a record time of just 45 minutes per aircraft by optimizing processes and utilizing the AMOS management system (Big Data & AI). Thanks to this effort, the entire Vietjet fleet successfully completed the update 4 hours ahead of the deadline, ensuring safety and maintaining the airline's operational schedule.

According to Engineer Trung, “updating the software” on an aircraft is a complex procedure, nothing like simply clicking the update button on a phone or laptop. It is a sequence of continuous operations that requires absolute precision. For example, identifying the aircraft configuration, because each unit has its own specific setup.

The engineering teams must simultaneously check the system, standardize the software, run tests, and cross-check the parameters. One person performs the operation, while another verifies and cross-references the documentation. 'We don't skip any steps, but we know exactly what to do and where to execute quickly,' Mr. Trung shared.

His many years of experience and previous work with this type of software helped him find a way to optimize the process, reducing the time for technical maneuvers and data retrieval, while still fully adhering to all mandatory safety steps.

The first aircraft, VN-A644, successfully updated in just 45 minutes-a moment the Vietjet Emergency Steering Committee called a “moment of revival” (or “the moment we came back to life”).

Immediately, the 45-minute process was shared with the technical teams on "standby duty" at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, and other international airports. From there, the plan completely reversed the entire "battle."

Parallel to the software update, Vietjet also prepared a “hardware backup” plan by having pre-removed ELAC units from aircraft currently on the apron for replacement. Airlines such as Vietjet Thailand, Vietnam Airlines, and Bamboo Airways also provided equipment support to speed up the process.

For the Vietnamese engineering team, this was not just about processing software but was a demonstration of technical capability, data proficiency, and coordination in the extremely high-pressure environment of the aviation industry.

In the history of Vietnamese aviation engineering, according to Mr. To Viet Thang, Executive Vice President of Vietjet, the 32 hours at the end of November 2025 will likely be remembered as a technological, engineering, and industry-wide coordinated campaign that reduced the processing time from 3 hours to just 45 minutes per aircraft in an emergency situation."

UD Media