New Policy explained..
Ok, here we go..
You can build towards your requirements while flying EK (as mensaboy pointed out, it used to be different, but changed about 2 months ago)
The time criteria still stand though, so that's 18 months in the company for a accelerated.
Now the little loophole they created unofficially: (and I know it sounds complicated)
According to the FOM, at 10.000TT (with the needed previous command time) you are ok for a DEC position. SO if you reach the 10000hrs in the book, you don't have to wait for your 18 months anymore. Of course, EK is now advertising for DEC's with 8000TT, so únoficially' you will get to the criteria when you have 8000TT. The only difference in the unofficial policy is that for DEC you need 3000hrs command on +55t, for accelerated you need 2000 of those hours. (Done within 12 months prior to joining EK)
So things are a bit messed up here, no one really knows anymore what the criteria are since EK is not folowing the published career path as published in the FOM anymore.
Same for the order of upgrades, officially this is:
1. 6000TT and 3 years in EK
If no available or eligible F/O's that meet 1:
2. 8000TT and 1.5 years in EK and 2000hrs command on +55t (accelerated criteria)
If no available or eligible F/O's that meet 2:
3. 10000TT and 3000hrs command on +55t (DEC criteria)
Again, and I can't stress this enough, this is the official policy as published in the FOM, but since about 1 month, EK upgrades almost ad hoc. On Airbus, lots of guys with case 1 waiting, but being bypassed by guys in case 2, AGAINST THE FOM...
MR8