@Boeing777ER, unfortunately I cannot give you a sure answer, I dont work in HR, just like others I merely try to put the pieces of info together from different sources to get a larger picture. As Jeanpaul172 suggests, the letter can in a sense leave room for some interpretation, but I dont think it was its purpose. I would deffinitely distinguish between hiring and recruitment, and also the intention to use people from the pool is clearly stated.
In your case though, I would rather use some logic. Why would anyone bother contacting you more then a year after the interview if he was not interested? Also, the hundreds of pilots needed still remain, no CTC can train them in such vast numbers to be ready anytime soon, so keep the faith. 2013 will be our year.