RIA Saudi Airlines?
Muttsy, Surely not still tripping the light fantastic in Saudia City? I thought you’d be long retired now.
But I do agree with you, I had 10 excellent years in Jeddah. We had a great time and the Jeddah Saudis were great. I cannot say the same for Riyadh.
For anyone thinking of working in KSA, if it’s Jeddah based go for it, you and your family will really enjoy living there. On the other hand, if it’s Riyadh based, look elsewhere - even Kabul or Mogadishu would be better.
But I do agree with you, I had 10 excellent years in Jeddah. We had a great time and the Jeddah Saudis were great. I cannot say the same for Riyadh.
For anyone thinking of working in KSA, if it’s Jeddah based go for it, you and your family will really enjoy living there. On the other hand, if it’s Riyadh based, look elsewhere - even Kabul or Mogadishu would be better.
Last edited by lucille; 28th Sep 2022 at 06:42.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: korea
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Off topic I know but there is NO comparison between China and India. India is and always will be a s$&thole China may have a screwed up political system but it is way cleaner way more developed and productive.
Have great respect for many of my Indian colleagues who by enlarge are hard working and humble people but it doesn’t change the fact about the country itself.
Have great respect for many of my Indian colleagues who by enlarge are hard working and humble people but it doesn’t change the fact about the country itself.
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Eu
Posts: 330
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Off topic I know but there is NO comparison between China and India. India is and always will be a s$&thole China may have a screwed up political system but it is way cleaner way more developed and productive.
Have great respect for many of my Indian colleagues who by enlarge are hard working and humble people but it doesn’t change the fact about the country itself.
Have great respect for many of my Indian colleagues who by enlarge are hard working and humble people but it doesn’t change the fact about the country itself.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: korea
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
“You mean like the at Wuhan live food market ?”
no I mean like the people taking a crap in the grass caught in my landing lights as I taxi in after landing…and yes we leave the landing lights on for our amusement .
no I mean like the people taking a crap in the grass caught in my landing lights as I taxi in after landing…and yes we leave the landing lights on for our amusement .
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Eu
Posts: 330
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
see #40. China is no hygiene poster child by a long shot, but an improvement over India in terms of Al fresco defecation . The landing lights for your amusement reveal an unpleasant side to your sense of humour, its not that funny if you think about it and it is old hat so to speak .
Most important is having an enlightened leader who will not give way to the entitled Saudi nationals.
Having worked with EK, I found it refreshing that we did not have much interference from the top.. and this goes all the way to Sheikh Al-Maktoum. Compared to the the neighbouring 'goat' airline where a passenger who was late for check-in made a call to HQ and the station manager was ordered to accept the late pax. Said station manager was also reprimanded.
The above also applies to hiring and firing... while we did have our share of nationals in EK, for the most part they did contribute instead of just warming the seats.
UAE nationals never gave any problems... it was usually the Saudis (of course), Syrians, Kuwaitis and Egyptians that gave us a hard time.
Having seen the Saudis at work first hand I think they'll have some way to go before they worry the ME3.
Anilv
Having worked with EK, I found it refreshing that we did not have much interference from the top.. and this goes all the way to Sheikh Al-Maktoum. Compared to the the neighbouring 'goat' airline where a passenger who was late for check-in made a call to HQ and the station manager was ordered to accept the late pax. Said station manager was also reprimanded.
The above also applies to hiring and firing... while we did have our share of nationals in EK, for the most part they did contribute instead of just warming the seats.
UAE nationals never gave any problems... it was usually the Saudis (of course), Syrians, Kuwaitis and Egyptians that gave us a hard time.
Having seen the Saudis at work first hand I think they'll have some way to go before they worry the ME3.
Anilv
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: ME
Posts: 5,489
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Muttsy, Surely not still tripping the light fantastic in Saudia City? I thought you’d be long retired now.
But I do agree with you, I had 10 excellent years in Jeddah. We had a great time and the Jeddah Saudis were great. I cannot say the same for Riyadh.
For anyone thinking of working in KSA, if it’s Jeddah based go for it, you and your family will really enjoy living there. On the other hand, if it’s Riyadh based, look elsewhere - even Kabul or Mogadishu would be better.
But I do agree with you, I had 10 excellent years in Jeddah. We had a great time and the Jeddah Saudis were great. I cannot say the same for Riyadh.
For anyone thinking of working in KSA, if it’s Jeddah based go for it, you and your family will really enjoy living there. On the other hand, if it’s Riyadh based, look elsewhere - even Kabul or Mogadishu would be better.
Im staying to turn off the lights in SVC.
Riyadh has changed dramatically over the last 5 years, you wouldn’t recognise the place nor the people and it’s definitely better than Kabul or Mogadishu.
As for $30,000 a month salaries, keep dreaming as it’s never gonna happen. They have their initial source of pilots from SVA, especially as they are no longer considered Government employees for their pensions.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Europe
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No one should doubt or underestimate MBS’s ambitions and available resources to start this new airline however it remains to be seen if it will be done properly or half arsed using cheap labor. The initial setup and the quality of staff they can attract will largely determine the airlines success or failure.
Establishing this new airline and feeding the rapid expansion that follows will require a huge influx of high quality experienced pilots who are familiar with the region and the culture. Incumbent Gulf airlines with a base of experience and confidence in their own checking and monitoring systems have seen it appropriate to lower their entry experience requirements and recruit from less desirable parts of the world. RIA will not have this luxury and will have to buy that experience. The experienced pilots and engineers working for the Gulf carriers are going to be the obvious target for that recruitment.
If you’re considering involvement with this venture know what your experience is worth and don’t sell yourself short. I would expect that RIA is aiming to be one of the worlds premium carriers so this should be the starting point for your salary expectations. While MBS has made huge strides in recent years working in Saudi remains problematic to say the least so it should be considered a hardship posting for the foreseeable future. An additional premium should therefore apply for abandoning your life, family and friends back home to commit to an expat life in Saudi..
Given the risks associate with a new company and the fact that you may have to live in Saudi I would not consider anything less than USD 30k/ month plus housing and benefits. If commuting contracts are offered you need to consider the tax implications, and how you are going to get to and from work. I would suggest that commuting to North America or Australia would be next to impossible. Europe and perhaps South East Asia may be doable depending upon the patterns. In any case commuting contracts may not even be offered.
Exciting and interesting times ahead but don’t sell yourself short. Feel free to post your salary expectations.
Establishing this new airline and feeding the rapid expansion that follows will require a huge influx of high quality experienced pilots who are familiar with the region and the culture. Incumbent Gulf airlines with a base of experience and confidence in their own checking and monitoring systems have seen it appropriate to lower their entry experience requirements and recruit from less desirable parts of the world. RIA will not have this luxury and will have to buy that experience. The experienced pilots and engineers working for the Gulf carriers are going to be the obvious target for that recruitment.
If you’re considering involvement with this venture know what your experience is worth and don’t sell yourself short. I would expect that RIA is aiming to be one of the worlds premium carriers so this should be the starting point for your salary expectations. While MBS has made huge strides in recent years working in Saudi remains problematic to say the least so it should be considered a hardship posting for the foreseeable future. An additional premium should therefore apply for abandoning your life, family and friends back home to commit to an expat life in Saudi..
Given the risks associate with a new company and the fact that you may have to live in Saudi I would not consider anything less than USD 30k/ month plus housing and benefits. If commuting contracts are offered you need to consider the tax implications, and how you are going to get to and from work. I would suggest that commuting to North America or Australia would be next to impossible. Europe and perhaps South East Asia may be doable depending upon the patterns. In any case commuting contracts may not even be offered.
Exciting and interesting times ahead but don’t sell yourself short. Feel free to post your salary expectations.
If they offer less? 20K? 16K? So WHY will an experienced Captain leave EK or QR to be based in Saudia, in Riyadh? For a few peanuts more?
If it's commuting, let's say 21 ON/ 9 OFF, with confirmed business to home , plus housing and benefits, something like 20K could make people decide to go to RUH.
As allaru said, to start well and rapidly you need quality experienced pilots (and all other staff), and you need to pay a lot more to base in RUH...If you don't...Remember..."If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: ON
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I mostly agree with you allaru, except USD 30K:month is surely not going to happen, Expect rather 25K + housing and benefits, at best, for a non-commuting contract.
If they offer less? 20K? 16K? So WHY will an experienced Captain leave EK or QR to be based in Saudia, in Riyadh? For a few peanuts more?
If it's commuting, let's say 21 ON/ 9 OFF, with confirmed business to home , plus housing and benefits, something like 20K could make people decide to go to RUH.
As allaru said, to start well and rapidly you need quality experienced pilots (and all other staff), and you need to pay a lot more to base in RUH...If you don't...Remember..."If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
If they offer less? 20K? 16K? So WHY will an experienced Captain leave EK or QR to be based in Saudia, in Riyadh? For a few peanuts more?
If it's commuting, let's say 21 ON/ 9 OFF, with confirmed business to home , plus housing and benefits, something like 20K could make people decide to go to RUH.
As allaru said, to start well and rapidly you need quality experienced pilots (and all other staff), and you need to pay a lot more to base in RUH...If you don't...Remember..."If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Far away from Idiots
Posts: 217
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If their idea is to operate widebodies (ie. A350s) from day 1, I don't think they can poach skippers from QR/EK unless they offer around 30k USD a month for full time contracts (living in Saudi).
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: .
Posts: 185
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If their idea is to operate widebodies (ie. A350s) from day 1, I don't think they can poach skippers from QR/EK unless they offer around 30k USD a month for full time contracts (living in Saudi).
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Dubai
Age: 42
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They won't be hiring First Officers. That will be all Saudi. They will hire a large number of expat Captains on high salaries but it'll be on short term contracts because they will be persistent with the Saudiisation goal.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Europe
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
you think many expat experienced Captains will leave their permanent position to come for a short term contract ? In Saudi Arabia?
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Europe
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If their idea is to operate widebodies (ie. A350s) from day 1, I don't think they can poach skippers from QR/EK unless they offer around 30k USD a month for full time contracts (living in Saudi).
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
It would be too risky to make the move for less than that.
However, they could offer less money but part time contracts that allow you to commute back to EU for example. That's something that many have asked for in EK and never got.
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Absolutely deluded if anyone thinks they'll be paying 30K a month. They'll be paying on par with the ME3 and there are plenty of skippers around the world who will take it. Ask any A350 skjpper in Cathay. The grass is always greener elsewhere even in the dry Saudi dessert.
Absolutely deluded if anyone thinks they'll be paying 30K a month. They'll be paying on par with the ME3 and there are plenty of skippers around the world who will take it. Ask any A350 skjpper in Cathay. The grass is always greener elsewhere even in the dry Saudi dessert.
EK is currently full of CX Captains whom took FO positions as opposed to going to QR DEC - most say because they didn’t want to live in Doha. The same will apply to living in RUH.
I am sure Douglas and his crew won’t be going just to get a tan either.
https://www.arabianbusiness.com/indu...di-airline-ria
Last edited by TBL Warrior; 28th Oct 2022 at 19:25.
