Fatbus is right....
I believe this policy has yet to serve its purpose. While it may result in cue jumping within the existing pilot group, it could also serve as an excuse to hire dec's due to the "lack of qualified candidates" already serving as first officers.
Not knowing what motivated the FCI in the first place, we are only left to guess how the airline will manage recruitment and promotion with the policy still in place.
For those who think it was an insurance underwriting issue, explain how the airline can insure ab-initio pilots who have vastly less flight experience when they begin at EK than expat-FO's who have fallen victim to this FCI?
There's more to this than meets the eye, and potential new joiners should carefully analyze the way business is done here in Sparkle City before joining our flying circus.
ANFA