Originally Posted by
new_era
IZAD
Can you shed some light about your airline in Togo please? How is the recruitment process and the T&C? Is the company and country stable?
Thanks in advance!
1. If you are an FO, you will only fly if there isn't a local FO availble. They want their own FOs to gain experience and upgrade. These guys do not have a long term plan to keep an Expat mix with local pilots. No, they are sending young Rwandese to the USA and Canada to do their Pilot Courses and to return to fly for Rwanda Air. Their plan is to have a 100% Rwandese Pilot Group in the long run. They have tried to keep expats with them, but the majority leave and even with high salaries.
2. As an expat your salary is higher than those of the local Pilots. This isn't your fault, but come locals just don't understand and accept this, and instead of taking this issue to their seniors, to the proper place, they take it out on you, as an expat. An expat FO gets a higher salary than a local Captain on some fleets. Some guys can't accept this!
3. The training is very unprofessional.
4. During the Line Training, the Line Training Captain didn't know basic things such as standard call outs and speeds. One manufacter callouts came out instead of the manufacter of the plane being flown.
5. If you do not have a local physical appearance, you will get a bit hassled on the street. They know that expats from abroad are there for a reasonable amount of pay... So you do get approached and everyone seems to be finding a way to get something off you. This doesn't bother everyone, but it bothered me. A good local salary is around 100 to 200 USD. So to the local population, you are Elon Musk.
6. Officially the CEO is a woman. The President of the country put a general working as an unofficial CEO. This guy doesn't have a clue about the airline industry. Once there was a problem with a flight on the turbo prop fleet. This guy went and knocked on a captains apartment door, on his day off and asked him to do the flight, The expat captain had a beer in his hand and pointed at the beer. The local unofficial general CEO still requested for his assistance!! This is difficult to believe, but it is true! And SAD! The same guy, once, sent a A330 instead of a 737 to South Africa because by mistake they had sold an extra ticket in business class, or one of the seats was unusable. They try to save money in many ridiculous things, but where they should, they don't.
7. There is an Air Marshall always on board the aircraft. You will be watched at all times. Even in the hotel when you are away. I personally don't like this type of work environment. I didn't do anything wrong, but I just can't get used to it.
8. The Rwandese government are obsessed with security. I am not saying they do not have reasons to do so. They probably do and are right in taking so many precautions, but it does affect your life. The cars to get in Kigali Airport go through a gigantic car scan. Everyone leaves the car and goes through a scan before even entering the airport. Once you are in, you will go through another one. The government uses the Israeli software called Pegasus and can access your phone, WhatsApp, emails, everything. This isn't official, but unofficially this is spreaded by word of mouth. The superiors will never have a conversation with you by phone or email of a matter that can't be "heard" by the government, they will have it with you in private. You pass through many metal detector machines a day, going to the grocery store, shopping mall etc.
9. If you are an expat and your fleet has flights to a certain city where your family lives, DO NOT REQUEST to fly there. You have great chances in asking NOT to fly to that destination.
10. The commuting was sometimes a hassle to get, even though everything was written in black & white. If you have 20 days off, although everywhere else the off days start when the day after you arrive at you destination, with Rwanda Air these travelling to and from days are taken out of your commuting days off. That is not at all fair.
11. There was once a pilot meeting. All the pilots that were in Kigali and that were not flying were there. The chief pilot at the time said the following: "I am very proud to announce that we have got to our goal of 80% of local pilot in Rwanda Air". He was from Ghana if I recall correctly. He meant by this, local African Pilots. Apparently the government gave them this "goal". They have their national flag flying around the world and they have preference to have local African Pilots wearing there uniforms and coming out of the cockpits of their planes. I am fair skinned. I do not like this comment. If this were to be done in any western airline, I can't even imagine the consequences..
12. The country isn't a true democracy. Officially it is, but once you live there you will understand that true freedom of speak does not exist. The local pilots will not say no to anything. Most of them came from the military and they continue to take orders as if there were flying army planes where the rules are completely different. During the COVID pandemic most local Pilots were flying to the point of exhaustion. Many expats were pushed also. The incident with the CRJ in Entebbe about a couple of months ago reflected this issue. The crew arrived at Kigali and were pushed to do one more short flight, They went beyond all of their limits and the outcome was bad, but it could have been worse.
Look, I could continue with more and more stories.
Answering your question, if you are a First Officer seeking to get in line somewhere, forget Rwanda Air.
They have a plan, and that includes their own national pilots in the long run.
The money isn't bad, but honestly, double would be fair.
Last edited by Wanda air; 14th Jun 2022 at 16:48.