New_Nigel
About 140 retirements a year for the forseeable future, puts a new joiner about seniority 2200 ish in 5 years. For that to equate to a definite command would need total pilot numbers around 4.5K. This would require something like a 50% increase in fleet size.
For it to be a longhaul command, you'd also have to see all shorthaul aircraft replaced in flavour of longhaul, again within 5 years.
So we are talking about 777 replacing ALL shorthaul aircraft, AND a 50% increase in total BA fleet size for a new joiner to see a 777 command in 5 years.
In otherwords its so far out of the realms of feasability your contact must have a serious reality disconnect.
CPB