If the cost of living in DXB continues to rise at a rate considerably in excess of salary then market forces will quite simply encourage more pilots to leave and less pilots to join.
And market force is the one thing that EK can't control. It can influence it, but only with a substantial increase to terms and conditions. At the moment though, we are moving backwards rather than forwards as far as terms and conditions are concerned.
An interesting thought as we try to continue the expansion!
