Within the two years following its establishment, the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of the University of Kyrenia has become a department which receives the highest demand. As the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of the University of Kyrenia aims to provide the students with adequate knowledge and skills required for the operation, design, construction, repair, test and maintenance of all kind of aerospace vehicles and cultivate qualified professionals licensed as aircraft engineers, most students from TRNC, Turkey and third countries prefer to receive their higher education on aeronautical engineering at the University of Kyrenia. Aviation industry has been growing rapidly on a global scale and this brings along an increasing demand for qualified aviators. In the line with this growth, the number of students enrolled in aviation programs, particularly in Aeronautical Engineering programs offered by the University of Kyrenia has increased significantly when compared to recent years.

According to the press release issued by the Directorate of Press & Public Relations Office of the University of Kyrenia, along with the significant growth momentum of the sector, efforts exerted by the university towards developing its educational vision so as to address the requirements of the sector had a crucial role in this increase. The press release underlines that the Department of Aeronautical Engineering with its fully equipped high-tech infrastructure and expert teaching staff provides a distinguished teaching and learning environment that enables students to obtain ultimate knowledge on aeronautical engineering and develop their talents through up-to-date undergraduate programs with best practical training opportunities.

74% of the students are from third countries....

Since its establishment in the year of 2014, the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of the University of Kyrenia has undertaken it as its fundamental goal to provide quality education in concordance with standards and criteria set by national and international bodies and train highly qualified manpower capable to address the needs of the rapidly growing aviation sector. Within this scope, the Department of Aeronautical Engineering has taken concrete steps towards becoming a leading educational hub. Considering the growing demand for qualified personnel in aviation sector and the distinguished teaching and learning environment offered by the University of Kyrenia, most students from TRNC, Turkey and third countries prefer to receive their higher education at the Department of Aeronautical Engineering. 74% of the students studying at the Department of Aeronautical Engineering are international students from the third countries. The quality of education, which is offered in English, is one of the major factors that increase the demand density of international students from the third countries.

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Tolun: "Aviation is a constantly growing sector with a shortfall of qualified personnel. We cultivate professionals who are adequately capable to make up this shortfall"

Touching upon the significance of the fully equipped high-tech infrastructure and the most contemporary superstructure of the Faculty of Aviation and Space Sciences that located in the new campus of the University of Kyrenia, Professor Doctor Süleyman Tolun, Dean of the Faculty of Aviation and Space Sciences, delivered information regarding the issue. "We have set it as our goal to generate all possibilities required for achieving the highest standards in education and offer the highest quality education in a distinguished teaching and learning environment. The core of our mission is to provide quality education through theoretical and practical training programs in line with national and international criteria and standards and to cultivate first caliber and highly qualified professionals capable to address the emerging needs of national and international industries involved in aviation. To this end, the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of the University of Kyrenia has set it as its primary goal to generate all possibilities for its students to make career and establish a competitive edge over others in this rapidly growing sector. Since aeronautical engineering is concerned with the design, construction, repair, test and maintenance of all kind of aerospace vehicle systems, the infrastructure and laboratories must be highly developed and capable to respond the needs. To this end, the aeronautical engineering program covers a range of specific courses that focused on basic science, aerodynamics, gas dynamics, heat transfer, construction-material, flight mechanics, aircraft design, flight instruments, production engineering, and avionics. In order to ensure that our graduates not only have a strong theoretical foundation but also receive relevant practical experience through the most advanced testing, simulation, and workshop and laboratory based learning, we are dedicated to support every theoretical concept with hands-on experience. To this end, our infrastructure comprises all laboratories required for the lab-based training. Our world class laboratories that equipped with the latest technological devices enables our students to strengthen their knowledge on basic engineering science by conducting experiments on static/dynamic strength, various mechanical systems and material properties. Besides, the technology laboratory equipped with CNC machines enables our students to conducts their workshop studies and produce parts and wind/smoke tunnels for experiment systems. The fluid mechanic laboratory equipped with various wind/smoke tunnels provides opportunity to students to test the scientific aerodynamic principles, and the electrical & electronic lab equipped with cutting-edge technological instrumentation and experimental setups enables our students to get well acquainted with electrical and electronic circuits” said he.

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Tolun: Rapidly growing sector will be in demand for 3000,000 aeronautical engineers and technicians by 2020

Underlining that they had taken all required steps and completed the infrastructure for graduate education within the body of the University of Kyrenia, Prof. Dr. Tolun stated that the graduates from the Department of Aeronautical Engineering and other departments would be able to receive their graduate education at the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Social Sciences that would be established within the new campus of the university. "Considering the rarity of graduate programs offered in English by higher education institutions in Turkey, the importance of our attempts is obvious" said he. Drawing attention to the crucial role of aeronautical engineers in responding the emerging needs of the sector, Prof. Dr. Tolun highlighted the importance of being on a strategic airline-route due to the island's geographical location. “The sector reports confirm that the needs of civil aviation sector will gradually increase in the coming decade and consequently the need for qualified personnel will rise rapidly. According to the research results reported by Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, 300,000 new aeronautical engineers and technicians are projected to be employed by the aviation industry by 2020. According to Boeing, the aviation industry requires 500,000 new pilots in the next 15 years in order to continuously provide valuable, efficient and safe service to the passengers. Especially in the Middle East, there is a great need for this constantly growing sector. Cyprus has a great potential to be a center for companies involved in air transportation, aircraft services and maintenance as it is located on the crossroads of Middle East- Europe and Europe- Eastern Africa. The graduates from the Department of Civil Aviation Transport and Logistics Management who are equipped with comprehensive knowledge on civil aviation economics management, the principles of international air transport management, international finance, international trade, cargo, airport planning and design, airport ground handling and passenger services will also take active roles in this sector. The need for qualified personnel is increasing in line with the rapid growth of the sector. Our students, who will graduate as highly qualified aviators, will be capable to make up this shortfall and respond all emerging needs of the sector” said he.