I highly doubt the DEC policy is ending as this would clearly be an admission that it is not working. There has never been a larger gap between suitable applicants and available pilot positions, so if the DEC policy is effective as we are constantly being told, then it should be expanded and not abandoned.
There has been a subtle indication that management has realized this policy has caused more problems that it has solved and in fact will turn out to be more costly in the long run than sticking to a somewhat normal pilot career advancement program. This would have stopped part of the exodus as well as not contributed to the massive decline in applications.
This is a very good job at EK, in spite of all the efforts of management to ruin it. Fortunately for us, we have economics on our side, and as we all know, profit is top of the list when it comes to policy at this company. We need pilots, we need more training resources and good trainers and shortly even our short-sighted managers will realize that we are way behind the power curve and this may end this period of chipping away at our T&C's.
As for the initial post, i'm quite certain that EK is purposely 'saying' that the DEC policy is stopping, simply as a means to spread this rumour. This in turn they hope will encourage prospective F/O's to begin knocking on EK's door. In the mean time, they will continue to hire DECs, slipping them in the back door under our very noses. And before anyone gets their panties in knot, I have nothing against DEC's, in spite of the fact that we managed to attract a few odd individuals to say the least. It is the DEC policy that has been one of the biggest blunders of this airline.