Varmint.
I'll clarify. I'm willing to bet that guys hired as FOs in the last 12 months who were Captains at LCCs and had the bare minimum CMD reqts for EK would not get a gig as a DEC. My understanding is the guys being employed have 12,000hrs andup. It's called experience, and when EK employ DECs they are looking for some real experience, not just 3000hrs in CMD flying a jet in only a small part of the world.
I'm not doubting that after gaining some experience with EK flying the globe that those guys/girls will upgrade, and there are FOs who are more than capable to do it now easily.
What I was saying is that when the DEC program is run it is to a different level. The bare minimum is just that, and I'm guessing that almost nobody gets in with a bare minimum 3000/6000.
That should mean that the FO is suitable for command of an EK aircraft full-time as well or he should not be in the cockpit period.
Naivete runs rampant............