Originally Posted by
kungfu panda
You clearly know pretty well what you're talking about, so I guess that you're an employee of Saudia, as you say. But your post isn't entirely accurate. The Saudi government wanted originally to set up a large Saudia base in Riyadh and Saudia Pilots were positively encouraged to take the Riyadh base. It was totally without success. Even Saudi guys whose family came originally from Riyadh/Eastern provinces refused to move from the Jeddah base. It was like a well orchestrated Union move to stop a Riyadh base from happening.
In the end Riyadh has a very small Saudia base made up of some Saudi's and the expats who were all moved to Riyadh by force.
In my opinion. It's going to be tough to get the required numbers of expats to come to Riyadh for Riyadh Air. I know that they can get "Pilots". That's not what they want, they want highly experienced B777/B787 Captains, who come from well recognised high quality Airlines, generally flag carriers.
Hello Kung Fu Panda,
I realize that my previous response may have lacked some detail. I was intentionally being broad, as providing specifics for everything would require a lengthy explanation. Let me provide more details, as you and I are actually in agreement and will ultimately reach the same conclusion.
The government initially planned to move Saudia from Jeddah to Riyadh, which I previously acknowledged. However, I believe that this move would be just as costly as starting a new airline. If the government is truly committed to relocating the airline, they have the resources to do so, just like how they handled GACA. It is absurd to suggest that Riyadh Air was created because Saudia pilots were hesitant to move to Riyadh. If Saudia needs to relocate its pilots, they have the ability to do so, trust me
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I completely agree with you that Pilots from Riyadh/eastern province were opposed to the opening of a base in Riyadh. They would prefer to commute to and from Jeddah instead. The reason for this reluctance is due to the potential 10-15% pay cut in their salaries, stemming from the loss of expense (time away from base) and possible reduction in credit hours as well. Prior to the opening of a base in Riyadh, these pilots would typically bid for and trade their entire month with Riyadh pairings/ Dammam pairings (eastern province pilots) to get paid while sleeping at home, neat huh..
I could be wrong, but I think the challenges of hiring experienced expat pilots could be resolved by offering them a 20/10 or a descent commuting contract. I know many captains on B777 and B787 aircraft are considering early retirement to join RIA due to the current changes in Saudia. I've also heard that Riyadh Air has recruited some IP and check airmen from SAUDIA.