Originally Posted by
harry the cod
Adam/Big Geordie
Not sure who has provided those figures for you but you're both well out regarding numbers.
Upgrades for the year are running around the 350+ mark. There are slightly more on the B777 due to experience level requirements for the 380, hence the need for B777 Captains to come across. Last I heard was around 15 per month upgrading on the 380, 20 on the B777. The latter fleet is currently over crewed but will stay that way to cover the delayed introduction of the 777X and possible early arrival of the 787. Pass rates are around 93% or thereabouts. Recruitment is about 45 per month with a bias towards recruiting more onto the 380. Pass rates for conversion courses is around 95%. If you delay joining by a year, 12 months later you'll have 450 pilots above you!
Obviously, these figures and plans change. They often do in EK, the only constant here being change itself! If you were to ask my realistic guess for upgrade time....I'd say 5-6 years tops. Remember, about 50% of the pilots are due to retire in the next 10 years anyway. This may be the calm before the storm in regards to upgrades and recruitment.
Harry
Thank you for your insight Harry .