Hi all, does anyone have any info on when EK's A330's will start to be withdrawn from service? And when they'll all be gone?
I've just been offered a course date with EK on the A330 and was surprised because I thought the size of the fleet was reducing and was wondering why they would be recruiting on a dying fleet.
Hi there and congratulations on getting the new job,
It's probably not my place to answer but as far as I'm aware, Emirates recruit onto the 777 and A330/340 families simultaneously. New recruits onto the Airbus initially fly solely the A330 whilst getting to grips with all of the changes associated with moving to Dubai and starting in a new company. MFF begins fairly quickly though (I'm sure Emirates employees here can correct). I'm sure you know this having just been employed.
The reasoning behind recruiting onto a dying fleet is so that the company can train pilots for the A380 and fill positions on that type as more of them arrive. Emirates do not recruit straight onto the A380 meaning that all Airbus new-joiners fly on the A330/340. The idea is that these pilots progress to the A380 once they're senior enough.
EK's manpower requirements change, literally, on a weekly basis. The last I heard (about a month ago) was that the last of the "Classic" Airbuses will depart in 2017, with the 330's departing from this year onwards.
However, anybody who was around when the 310s were phased out won't be surprised to see the 330/340 in Emirates colors well into the next decade.
Off topic I was recently paxing on one of Ek's twin eng bus .. and everytime the brake was applied a loud thud was first heard followed by deceleration.. No it was not the PTU Barking noise but this was much louder and very significant in the cabin.. could be something to do with the hydraulics (apologies if I am wrong , I dont fly french planes ) Any explanation would be appreciated !! Cheers
"Power Transfer Unit" transfers hydraulic power between systems to ensure they are all operating at the proper pressure. It mitigates the threat of a single hydraulic pump loss.
Regarding the longevity of the 330/340's - a quick search on the internet tells me that the 340-300's will have all gone by the end of 2013, the 340-500's by later this decade and likewise with the 330's. As BigGeordie said, that could mean anytime between 2014 and and 2020 onward. They've got roughly 30 330's at the moment and a total of about (just under) 20 340's. Point is, they can't replace the fleet overnight and are limited by the development speed and status of the 350.
Expect to be on the Airbus long enough to get your command.
They've got roughly 30 330's at the moment and a total of about (just under) 20 340's. Point is, they can't replace the fleet overnight and are limited by the development speed and status of the 350.
Expect to be on the Airbus long enough to get your command.
I doubt you're very much in the KNOW at all... Roughly???
...I heard that the present A332/A343/A345 might be replaced by new A333s in some kind of a sugarcoated arrangement by Airbus if the A350 will be further delayed (or in case that EK cancels the A350 deal altogether). So my guess a classic Airbus fleet will be in EK for quite some time.
Firstly a caveat...everything at EK changes almost daily so we have no idea for certain what will happen..
BBJ the 330s have already started to leave, you are from OZ, take a look at Virgin Oz's 330s, they were once ours. At current plan of two weeks ago, the last bus would be the 345s until late 2017 early 2018. At that time the 343s and 332s will be gone (plan only remember). With the 350 delay making their earliest arrival around 2019 there will be a gap, so if the plan stays then every bus driver will be 380 or 777 at that time. My guess is if you join now you will probably end up on the whale and others behind you at some stage will be locked into the death on the 345.
But that was two weeks ago.....and I am just a pilot so what do I know?
For the guy asking about noisy brakes, it's a shuttle valve, some are noisier than others but normal.
Are many people progressing from 330-340 and then from 340-380 or are the guys on the 340 pretty much stagnant? I'm guessing a few of them must be moving on to the whale as the 340 fleet is shrinking.
wiz is correct - but to make things clear- MFF means mixed fleet flying, so once ccq (cross crew qualified on the 330 and 340) your roster will consist of a mixture of 330-200,340-300 and 340-500 flying.
.. and everytime the brake was applied a loud thud was first heard followed by deceleration.. No it was not the PTU Barking noise but this was much louder and very significant in the cabin.. could be something to do with the hydraulics (apologies if I am wrong , I dont fly french planes ) Any explanation would be appreciated !! Cheers 
