Not that many leaving..
Although a lot of people think that EK is loosing pilots faster then it can attract them, it's just untrue. Have a look at the senioritylist. About three years ago, we had 1000 pilots, now we are at around 1800. Also, the guys who joined 3 years ago are now around place 900 opn the list, so we lost around 100 'senior' pilots over 3 years, that's 33/year, which is overall less then 3 percent.
The crewing will be a problem in the next few years, but even here are some easy solutions. Like someone mentioned before, the A380 F/O position will attract quite a few guys. Also, I think EK should introduce second officers for the cruise part of our long haul flights. Especially with that new burn-out rule for the augmenting guys... You can get 2nd officers with 2000 hours, and upgrade them when they have 4000hrs. A lot of people would take this offer to secure their place on the seniority list.
One of the other 'issues' for the future will be the upgrade positions on the A380. According to the current rules, A380 F/O's will upgrade on the A380. What about the guys with higher seniority who are flying the A330/340's? Wouldn't it make more sense to upgrade on the A330, and overflow to the A380?
MR8