RoyHudd: I am not sure that I can give you the truthful answer which you want. If you google Saudiization then you will probably find a lot of information. I understand that Saudiization is a legal process initiated in around 2005 to slowly replace the approximately 7,000,000 expatriate workers with Saudi workers. There have been some industries where the government have intervened to insure that this process has happened quickly for example the mobile phone industry last year, where the government gave companies six months to replace all expat workers.
The management of Saudia have clearly stated that their intention is to remove all foreign Pilots and replace them with Saudi Pilots by 2020. I do understand from within the head office that a target of 6-8 years is actually what they believe.
Cliff Secord: Your presumption is of course correct. You get one block of 5 and then ones and twos. I think the minimum is nine.