Ukraine is one of few countries of the world where aviation and space engineering is developed and manufactured and where skilled experts are trained for these areas. The National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute" is the leading one among the Ukrainian educational institutions which trains such experts.
The KhAI was founded in 1930. Its history is closely connected with the development of aircraft engineering and science. The University is famous for its creation of the first in Europe high-speed airplane with a retractable landing gear and the creation of the design of the turbojet engine developed by teacher of the KhAI A. M. Liulka who afterwards became the academician and designer of many structures of aircraft engines including the engine of the aircraft Su-27.
The NAU KhAI is unique higher educational institution where the airplanes developed by the Institute Design Bureau under the supervision of Professor I. G. Neman were produced serially at the aircraft plants and run on passenger airlines.
From 1977 to 1984 the Designer General O.K. Antonov run the department of airplane structure at the KhAI.
In 1978 the KhAI was given the name of N. Ye. Zhukovskiy. In 1980 the Institute was awarded with the order of Lenin. In 1998 the N. Ye. Zhukovskiy State Aerospace University “Kharkov Aviation Institute” was founded on the basis of the KhAI and in 2000 the University got a status of the National higher educational institution and got a name of the National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute".
During the period of its existence the University has trained about 80 ths engineers. More than 80% of the experts with higher education who work in Ukrainian aerospace area are the graduates of the NAU KhAI.
At present about 9.5 ths students and 160 post-graduate students are trained at the University; 650 teachers and 2.5 ths employers work here. Among them there are 120 Professors and PhD.
The NAU KhAI is a member of International Association of Universities, EASN, PEGASUS organizations as well as is a signatory of Magna Charta Universitatum.
The NAU KhAI is a co-executor of many scientific and educational programs which are carried out with universities and companies of EU, Mexico, China.
In 1992 the KhAI started the training of foreign students. About 1400 foreign citizens from 45 countries are trained annually at the University.
The University covers a separate area of the city in the forest-part zone, it amounts to about 25 hectares. The University has 8 academic buildings, research institute and laboratories, library, campus, sport complex, swimming pool, first medical aid point, dining halls, bank, kindergarten, etc.
