goriding,
Not so much 16 airframes as 16*16= 356 command slots.
Figure 3% attrition on an average crew complement of 3000 and that number gets swallowed up in four years.
Three years ago people were saying "6 to 7 years to command". Guys currently upgrading are at the 4yr 3 mth mark, and it's falling.
A year from now, guys with 3 years up will be upgrading. Guys joining now are probably looking at 4-5, guys joining a year from now 5-6, assuming no big orders.
The company wants to be a 350 aeroplane airline- one thing that THAT will require is the completion of and our moving to JXB. Short of that, about 270 is the limit, which, as you say, is where the current order book takes us.