Originally Posted by
ba77w
I deliberately used the word “verbally” because nothing in this industry is guaranteed, especially at a startup. Upgrades are always subject to operational requirements and fleet growth.
As for Saudisation, I honestly don’t know how it will ultimately play out for expats joining as FOs, and I wouldn’t wish that kind of uncertainty on anyone. The higher risk appears to be on the A321 side, where localization pressure could be stronger through cadets and local hires from FAD and NAS. That doesn’t mean the 787 is risk free. There is still pressure from experienced locals applying from Saudia and other operators. The level of risk on the 787 side will largely depend on aircraft deliveries and how many qualified local pilots are available to fill those seats.
As for the biggest question, would they get rid of expats? Captains, very unlikely. FOs, I honestly don’t know. Only time will tell. I just hope short term hiring doesn’t grow out of proportion and create issues with locals later on.
Time will tell...
There's hundreds of planes on order for Saudi Arabia. They'll need a lot of arabs to fill those seats.