Testimonials

When considering different courses and programmes at HKIAA, the emphasis is often on students’ learning experiences and journeys. In fact, HKIAA’s instructors also have their share of experiences and journeys outside of the classroom which are equally insightful.   

One of the instructors for the HKIAA’s Advanced Master in Air Transport Management (AMATM) programme, Bastien Bernard, was in Hong Kong to teach the Ground Handling and Operations module to the 2024 Cohort taking place at HKIAA.  Prior to going into the classroom, he sat down with HKIAA for a chat. 

Not according to plan

Bastien did not grow up dreaming to pursue a career in aviation. In fact, he contemplated becoming a doctor but was advised against it early on.  It was by chance that his mother, an office secretary in an aviation company, passed to him a brochure related to air traffic control. Though he was not particularly biased towards planes, he was a transportation enthusiast, liking cars, boats and trains too. Hence, it was not too farfetched for him to give air traffic management a shot.

Little did he know that it would lead to a lifetime career in aviation.  Bastien spent 10 years as an air traffic controller at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Two years into the job, he felt the need to be challenged and took on the additional role as an instructor.  Over time, he accumulated more experience and opportunities began to diversify. He went from being a manager to becoming the head of the training department.

Eventually, his voracious appetite to learn and be challenged led him to switch gears and time was taken to pursue further studies.  He picked up multiple degrees in Spanish, Portuguese, management, etc., including a master’s at ENAC.

Fast forward to today, Bastien is back to CDG, this time as its airport operations director, while occasionally also sharing his expertise and insights as an instructor for ENAC.

Learning from the books vs experience

Despite his own journey with the books, Bastien emphasised that learning also come from experience. Not just one’s own experiences but from others’. He said, “Of course you learn from the books. But at the same time, it’s the experience that you’re going to get from colleagues, from real operations [which are] definitely very, very important. Life is not just like in the books, so it means you need to be flexible.”  

And flexible he became. Bastien continued accumulating more experience as a consultant and later a technical advisor with the French civil aviation authority before eventually returning to CDG. 

When asked how he would quantify the balance between book knowledge and practical learning, Bastien thinks that while books are indeed important, practical life experience also play a key role. He went so far to say that 30% of learning comes from the books and 70% not from the books. “I often say that there are many people who’ve got beautiful degrees, but it doesn’t mean that they are excellent managers,” he said. 

When pressed further on whether he would advise someone to go for the AMATM programme, he said without hesitation “Go for it!”  He acknowledged that while it’s certainly an investment of both time and money, it’s worth it. 

AMATM: Getting the best of both worlds

For students pursuing the Advanced Master offered by ENAC and HKIAA in Hong Kong, Bastien opined that it was indeed the best of both worlds in more ways than one. Firstly, the AMATM is a robust programme, “the blending of two excellent institutions. ENAC which is one of the most known civil aviation academies, located in Toulouse which has a long history in aviation. Then you have HKIAA located in Hong Kong, at one of the most dynamic, successful airports in Asia.”  HKIAA is a place where one can get the best from the East and the West. 

Bastien elaborated that students get the 360-approach to the aviation world in this AMAMT programme. The 12 modules’ topics range from airlines to operations, financial management, the environment, etc.  And because this AMATM programme is where professionals from different disciplines converge, Bastien added besides the knowledge gained from the degree, the journey is also important, pointing out that students have “the opportunity to meet with people to learn things, to be challenged”.

During the conversation, Bastien was reminded of a realisation from his time as a consultant. He had said, “You do not try to implement what you have in your country. You try to take in your knowledge, in your library of solutions and adapt what you need to provide to the customers.”  This resonated as Bastien marvelled at how many of the AMATM students are from Southeast Asia, from different countries with different cultures and backgrounds. “What’s really important is not just to receive, but also to make others understand that they can gain from each other” during the learning journey.  

Final words

To the graduating cohorts, Bastien also had a few words to share. “First, congratulations because it’s not easy to work, to have a job and at the same time, to study.” He noted that it was an investment in time, not only for the students but also for their families.

“Next, this is the beginning of something new. This is their story; they will need to write the following chapter of their stories.” 

Lastly, he said “See you later!” because he hopes they will have the opportunity to meet again in another environment, another context, and that they will be able to share their own experience and that the programme was indeed beneficial for all of them.

Click here to see more about the AMATM