Originally Posted by
TBL Warrior
Your argument holds weight, and it's important to compare similar sized, or larger, demographic groups when discussing employment rates. South Korea, for instance, has a significantly larger working-age population, approximately 37.7 million people, compared to Saudi Arabia. In addition, China's working-age population is a staggering 897 million. But both countries (had pre covid) have a noticeable expatriate presence in their airlines.
Turning our attention to Saudi Arabia, there's no denying that the country has a considerable number of young, unemployed individuals.
However, the key question is how many among them are genuinely interested in seeking employment and not just cushy government jobs where they can spend their time on their phones, as pointed out in an earlier post.
From this group, how many are willing to commit to becoming pilots, and more specifically, are they prepared to take on challenging schedules, such as a 2am turn to India in the monsoon?
If other Middle Eastern airlines are any indication, locals prefer layover trips to places like Vienna (if they turn up at all) while expatriates handle the night turns and undesirables.
Therefore, considering these productivity complexities, I think it’s fair to say there will be some requirements for xpats here and there
"Some Requirements " is the correct statement.
And I can assure you that young Saudi's see the job of Airline Pilot as highly prestigious and a huge number wish to follow this career path. The Saudi government is willing and are sponsoring many, while many more are funding their Pilot training privately.
As I have previously posted, even prior to Covid, there were 6000-7000 young Saudi's under sponsorship in the United States.
Having said that. In the short term there will be a high demand especially for expat Captains. The numbers of Aircraft arriving in Saudi Arabia will overwhelm the current supply of Saudi Captains.
In total, in Saudi Arabia, you currently have around 220 Airliners. With Saudia set to receive 70+, Riyadh Air 40, FlyNas 250, Flyadeal 30- over the next 5 years. Saudi Arabia as whole will nearly triple it's Airline industry.
As I have said previously. And it's accurate. If you come here as a First Officer, don't expect to be upgraded and don't complain when you're not. You will, with 100% certainty, be gazumped by all Saudi's ready for upgrade.