Truss, company stooges and starry-eyed kids with SJS, as a twenty-plus year, current Cathay Pacific pilot, I can only urge you to engrave Capt. Underpants' post #3736 in your collective memories.
Given the current rate of expansion, the maximum possible training rate, future slot availability at Hong Kong etc, the time to command given to you by your high-powered friend is at best an incorrect assumption by an out-of-touch retiree, or at worst, an outright lie.