Unitop Airlines
 

Anyone has any news of Unitop Airlines lately? How are they coping in the freight business, with the slowdown in global business in China, US and Europe evident in recent months?
They are still operating in these turbulent times? Any new hirings for their new routes?

They are still flying and looking for B747-200 Captains and F/O's, if you are looking for a job be prepared to wait for around a year for your paperwork to be sorted out, during this time you get NO pay.

Strange operations. Was suppose to fly to Europe but there's no news about that since. Heard they only fly Wuhan-Chennai-Wuhan on two/three times a week. How can they sustain their operations for so long then?

Rumours have it that the CAAC would not extend the validity of some of their current crew's licenses who are reaching 60 years old. Could that be one of the reason why they are having difficulties in getting crew, with the tough medicals not helping at all in getting enough crew for their long haul operations????

Recruitment
 

I am in the process of supplying paperwork to join this airline, but there seem to be lots of rumours floating around. I hear that if you ever want to leave to join another Chinese company, they hold your license until you pay them around $40,000. I also hear that the company may be in trouble as they recently recruited 1 or 2 guys and then fired them within a month as they needed to reduce crew numbers. I am reluctant to leave my current job should any of this be true, any info would be most welcome.

Heard the same rumors. They are cutting crew due to their dire financial crisis and no additional cargo routes.
Better think hard before joining them at this time unless you have no other options......otherwise.........prepare to be laid off soon!!!:ugh::ugh:

Contracts
 

I waited a year for all my paperwork to be processed, and was recently taken to China to start work as an F/E. Four days after arriving, I was told that due to a reduction in required numbers I was not going to be offered a contract, and was sent home. This decision came from top management, and i believe the flight operations team were as surprised as i was. DoctorNo and others thinking of joining Uni-Top, this is just my story, and i cant comment on other rumours, it is up to you to decided if you trust this company.

B747eng:

My sympathies to you for not getting employed by Unitop after waiting for a year or more.....

Contrary to my previous negative post about Unitop, it is still very much in business and has got some recent contract jobs despite the difficult global economic crisis.
They are definitely one of the better flying jobs around for the 747 classics, especially with the 40/20 commuting schedule, not unlike Midex until they removed it quite some time back.
Plus now that CAAC has extended the retirement age of pilots to 65 to the airline, things are looking rosy for them again and for those pilots ( sorry not F/Es) who are keen to join them, now is the perfect time to look east......

There are currently no regular routes, only charters, and not so many of them. Something will have to change in the very near future.

What do you mean exactly by the retirement age change to 65 for them
Never heard that China CAAC change the rule from 60 to 65

Well, you heard it right.
CAAC grant the retirement age extension from 60 to 65 years to pilots to some airlines on a case-by-case basis.
Unitop Airlines is one of the privileged few who does now.
However, it will be interesting to see if they do grant the extension to the F/Es though it should not be a problem for most other countries, but in China, it will be a 'test' case for them as they have no three-man cockpit aircrafts in other airlines except in Unitop.

A couple of Captains and F/O's were hired recently, and went through the process then they decide NOT to join because of a guy named SABOOR. They heard a lot of story about this guy so they decide to give up UNITOP.
Check all of the posts before if you like to join.
Fly safe,

I was one of those who were offered a job with this company, but having heard all the rumours, and the fact they they have fired many of their flight engineers, i have decided it is not worth joining them.

What do you mean "many F/Es were fired" ??
I thought "only 1 F/E" was asked to go back??

airtraveller. I understand they have very little work and too many flight engineers, so they fired the surplus. I am not willing to give up my current job to go there as they might just do the same thing to pilots if things don't improve.

DoctorNo,

I can understand your plight and foresee the dire economical situations ahead.
However, it is for the same reason why they are so short of pilots to operate
the long haul routes that they have to 'let go' of the surplus F/Es for the time being, notwithstanding the tough medical checkups required by CAAC, adding to
the stress of the job.

Am scheduled for "phone interview" for a PIC slot with unitop......must admit they have seemed pretty unorganised even up to this point.

Has been very difficult for me to find any info on the company.

Any information concerning hiring process, salary and dependability of their contrct would be appreciated.

Thanks.......

I think Chennai and Delhi were the only stations served are they still flying there?

Strange as it may seems, the extension for retirement age from 60 to 65 years old was not accorded to F/Es by CAAC, hence the retiring of F/Es who reach 60 by the airline.....:ugh::ugh:

Do they fly 747-8 already? They claim they own 3 -8's. Whats happening with Uni Top?