Whats happening in Gulf Air?
 

one minute they say "they've lost millions because of fuel", next thing they want to change the B767 to another?
anybody know which aircrafts they buying?or where are they getting the money from :confused:

are they buying new aircrafts or lessee some more ?

The money for new aircraft was secured in format of a loan from the Governments of Oman and Bahrain earlier this year. If I am not mistaken, it was around $800,000,000 USD.

As far as aircraft type, from where, when, etc . . . those who are talking don't know and those who know aren't talking. For my part though, I sure hope they don't get any more ex-Royal Jordanian birds. :yuk:

The Boeing 767's are old and tired, and in the opinion of many, desperately need to be replaced. The Company mused reducing the fleet to possibly only two types of aircraft.

There has been plenty of navel gazing during the last few months about aircraft replacements, CEO replacements, etc. Fortunately the infiernal temperatures and humidity have either kept most of us dozy or prioritizing about trying to stay cool.

A skipper, please
 

What we need is a skipper. Nothing will happen until the new guy comes in.
Investors will not pump money in, under actual circumstances.

There is a FPL DISCONT AHEAD in the active GF flight plan...

Good news:
6 upgrades this month, from FO 340 to captain 767, from FO 320 to Captain 320 and 2 others on 767.

LNB

Expats
 

How many expats on that number ?:oh: :E

As long as they are following the seniority, nationality is irrelevant.

i Found this, check it out. an interveiw with the CEO in pearson !!!

http://www.itp.net/business/features...iation&id=5021

says more our less the same :ugh:

Bird Dog....And if they are not....what are you going to do about it?

incoming interview with Gulf air?
 

Hi guys,

Beginning of august I called A.Mansell regarding a possible interview, he told me that I will be in for the next interview ... any idea when this will happen?:*
thank you for your answers....
all the best.
cheers:}

The market rules are very simple. If you are not happy where you are and somebody offers you something better...... Regarding GF, I am ok so far despite the DECs, according to the AHOFO it is only one year contract and it is not going to be renew. I will give the man credit unless he proves me wrong.

about GF
 

Hi guys
I have a great interest on gulfair FO recruitment. If anybody can tell me things about gulfair and Bahrain, would be appreciated. Salary scale, other payment(perdiem), school tuition fees for kids, and accommodations. thanks.

Use the search feature:ugh:

If you have kids dont bother applying.
GF housing and schooling allowances are outdated and unrealistic.
If you still decide to give GF a try, when you come to Bahrain bring sleeping bag and a rice cooker.Dont lose sleep on an obvious descision.

Totally agree with VC.

Conversion of Gulf License to JAA
 

I am currently flying for one of the Gulf Majors and particularly interested in converting my type rating as issued by the CAA over here to a JAA one - I currently hold JAA license.

I have done some reading up and the problem is that JAA make no distinction between Captain\Co-Pilot whereas my rating over here distinctly says P2 - I am flying as co-pilot.

Would be very interested to hear from anyone who has successfully converted and the process\cost involved.

Please PM me as required.

thanks

CT

Dear Captain Toga.

I do not know your situation, but can tell you the following for the UK CAA. If you hold a current JAA UK CAA ATPL licence, with a current P1 Rating on it, and have completed a non JAR approved type rating course (your case), then you will get it as P1 as long as you have more than 500 hours on it, and you do a LST with a UK TRE, in the capacity of P1 in a JAR approved simulator.

Regards

EXEK:)

You can look up the details on the CAA site.



PM for details

any reason for that? i am supposed to have "one day" my interview with GF... still haven't heard from them though despite the fact that i am on list of the next interview session... so... are you flying for them? what don't you like or be mad at?
:rolleyes:
will be good to know before taking a decision... I have 1 child...:uhoh:
thanks in advance.

OK Ziva, since the others won't give you the true story I will try to do it in as brief a way as possible. GF is as good and as bad an employer as any other in the Gulf. The lifestyle is what you make it and the salary compared to others is reasonable. It's important to remember Bahrain is still the cheapest place to live in the Gulf. On the subject of housing, yes it could be better and the allowance is not as much as it should be. There are moves to improve this but nothing in stone yet. The one area where there is a serious shortfall is in education allowance. The allowance will probably only pay 30% of the total you need to spend. With one child it is possible to survive and even save a little. There are plenty of FO's doing just that and they are still happy. If you have more than one child however DO NOT come to GF as it is not possible to educate them here, schooling is stupidly expensive for 2 or more kids. I feel sure that with 3 kids you will be in negative earnings. You will be given the facts and all the numbers (costs) you need at the interview. Nothing will be hidden from you and AM goes out of his way to explain how it really is. It's not in anyones interest to hide stuff like that and they will not do it. Once again with one child it can be done on FO's salary so if you have a chance to come here take it!!

Jack my son, get off that weed you are on....for the sake of this gentlemen's career be honnest and don't bring more people in your spiral dive....Tell him about the amount of the bounds( 2x a normal one) , about housing....about all that is not respected.....Please do it for yourself, once....:ok:

Thank you for the honnesty... but in fact I just wondering if there is a truth...it really depends of where you coming from and what you intend to do down the road.... but in the same time I don't want to loose my time and money if I will be selected after the interview.... but first ... have you heard anything about an incoming interview session? 've been waiting since august... ho well.... not in a rush ... but I keep gathering some info to make a decision... if I am successful... thanks ...:rolleyes:

Ziva, I have tried to give you a balanced opinion about the state of GF at the moment. Unlike others I did not resort to retoric or rumour nor did I try to involve any personal axe I might have to grind. If you check the previous posts by some of the others it becomes apparent that they are never happy. That goes for being in GF or any other previous company. The fact remains that GF is not the worst place to be and has the same problems other airlines have. The biggest issue remains education allowance so I won't be surprised if this is addressed in the near future. There is no shortage of applicants, in fact there is a backlog. It's all about balance and that's what I have tried to give you. Beware the ones who are all cheese and no burger!!:ok:

Personal opinion
 

Hello Ziva,

I was in your situation two and a half years ago. I think JB gave you a VERY summarised but realistic view of the money aspect. I believe there is another point to be consider before coming over, specially if you are going to sign a training bond and have over 4000 tt. There is NOT any perspective of increasing the fleet, age for retirement has just been increased and every now and then GF is recruiting temporary DECs that have theirs contracts renewed every year. Thus command will take a longer time than another airlines in the region. On the good side I find work atmosfere excellent and I enjoy the 52 leave days every year. I hope it helps and good luck whatever your decision is.

thank you very much for the info.... effectively, I have 5700h TT... but today i am looking for a stable position.... where i will be able to spend some time with my wife ans son... regarding the 52 days leave... I read somewhere that you don't get them... totally... is this right?:\ 52 days means in fact not working for a 1month and 3 weeks... correct? not like 52 days of flying?
anyway with all of this infos... I am just waiting now for the interview to come along one day.... :rolleyes:
tell me birddog.... what kind of airplane you are flying? and do you enjoy the schedule? are you home often? if yes how often?
Thanks for your time and these valuable infos you gave me all of you guys ... really really appreciated...:ok:
Hope to meet you there during my interview... who knows...:}

Ziva, GF now makes you take your vacation in 2 blocks of 26 days. You bid yearly for those blocks. It may be possible to get those blocks back to back but with the way the bid system works that is virtually impossible. This poses the problem that run into - you only get ONE leave ticket to your home base if it is not of the GF system.

You are correct about the days off - you get 26 days in a row. The BIG issue here is that the way the leave bids work you can only start you leave on certain days (ie. 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st). So if you start your leave in the middle of the month GF can (and does) work you hard for the first half. They prorate the days off in this situation (so you get 4 days) but do NOT prorate the max hours you work before OT. At GF 75 hours is the OT threshold so, since they prorate days off, in this situation they should prorate the hours so that the threshold becomes 37.5 (half). They don't do this and you can expect to work much more and not get the OT credit.

Here is hoping this overhaul this system!!!

I realise that they will retire the B767 in the next couple of years. Could anyone tell me what happens to the 767 jockeys when that happens in terms of fleet transfer (if any), pay, contract, seniority etc. Obviously, you won't be made redundant if you still have a year of bond to pay of. (Surely not...gulp!)
Is there also any news on the .7 or .8 billion dollar fleet renewal plans? Has there been any changes to everyday operations as pilots go since the departure of JH?
Finally, can anyone convince me to leave before I start or the opposite?

thank you for the info... very interesting...:confused: in fact you have your time off but you are still working towards your 75h min... and if you can't make it you get paid less I guess? :{ bbut hey no problem... where i am working now...( as slave...:hmm: ) 19 days on... 11 days OFF , no vacations... NONE !!!! and if you do extra work.. you don't get paid extra ... if you don't do it ... you are fired..:mad: sorry....!!! so imagine.... this is in europe with a corporate company...:sad: but hy no complains...just some facts... and no fiction !
thank you anyway...:ok:

Ziva GF
 

Ziva, I am sorry I have not replied to you promptly.. In fact this is to whom ever wants to find out the truth about Gulf Air.

1. The company is not growing, there are talks to retire the B767 fleet with no replacement plan on the table...

2. GF is not doing very well compared to Emirates, Qatar & Etihad in fact they are loosing some ground.

3. As a NTR flight officer you are required to sign a contract (bond) for 3 years or $36,000 USD..
4. The package they have to offer is not that great, low salary, the housing allowance is not good ..Comparing the package to the cost of living I will have to agree with the others it is not much.

5. GF will offer you stability if that is all you are looking for.. They have the backing of the king. so know that they will never go under ..As long as there is Oil in the country GF will continue to fly..

6. Upgrade time is in the neighborhood of 8 to 9yrs t this tiem on the A320.
7. schedule sucks.... you are only guaranteed 7 or 8 days off a month.

please don't get me wrong there are some positive things but when you look at the overall it is not all that.. Also note that with your experience you can get someting much better..
I.E if you wait until you hit 6000 Hrs totl time and have 2000 hrs Pilot in command time on a jet w/ a MTOW of 20 t or greater you can qualify for a DEC position with companies such as Air Arabia or Qatar Airways on the A320.. They usualy ask for 500 hrs on type but the number of qualified pilot is in decline and soon you will see what we have not witnessed in a long time..

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

UAXCAPT

All correct and I agree, except for..The bond amount as a non type rated new joiner is a staggering $61,100 USD!!!!!!!!!

...and thats for a type rating done 'in house'!!!!!

RIDICULOUS is the word that comes to mind.

Oh well DC, i'm gonna have to suck it and see, at least for 3 years with the bond. If I don't like it, I'll leave with a type rating I didn't pay for.

Fair enough. Some on here have offered facts, as opposed to propoganda and rumour.

What you do with those facts are entirely up to you. Good luck.

Gulf airlines requirements
 

Hi Ppruners,
I will be going for ATPL theoritical training soon. Does airlines in the Gulf (EK,EY...) accept a CPL license with Theoritical ATPL with say 4000 hours total and 3700 hours Jet time (I know it has been the case for QR) ? Or shall someone wait to pass the training for left seat and have the full ATPL License ?
ATPL license cannot be issued unless you successfully complete the training for left seat.
From the EK website :
Requirements for Position of First Officer - A330/A340 and B777
* A minimum of 4000 hours total flying time.
* A minimum of 2000 hours multi-crew, multi-engined jet aircraft experience.
* ICAO ATPL.
* English language fluency (written and verbal comprehension).
* Experience commensurate with age.
* Type rated would be advantageous.
Thanks for your answers and happy landings,
FMC

Yes. Has happened.

Nz medicals in the gulf
 

Hi

The NZ CAA AME at the QR medical centre doesnt do NZ Class 1 medical even though his name is on th NZ CAA website.His reasoning was due to the work load at the clinic he is not willing to do a class 1 assessment especially since i am not a QR employee. My next option is th UAE.But there i saw 3 AME in DXB all working in the emirates clinic.Would they oblige to do my class 1 medical even if i am not an emirates employee.I am asking this because i read in another post on pprune that they dont.So i just want to confirm it through the middle east forum.

This is frustrating why do they give preference to their respective airlines employees.It s*cks.

The NZ CAA should specifically mention that these AMEs are only available to do class 1 for their airline employees.


there are 2 more docs in abu dhabi.anybody know if they do NZ class 1 medicals.

I would give them a call but i just want to hear from you guys on pprune first.

Thanx

if u wanna do nz medical dont do it in the gulf its expensive come to newzealand and do its really cheap half the price of doing it in abudhabi and u r not in a rush of getting it before ur course starts

Let me see if I get this straight... You suggest to: book time off work (assuming he is working...) / play / time away from the family, buy an airline ticket (he said he isn't an airline employee, so strike the ID90's, etc), travel umpteen-thousands of miles to Zee-Land, hotels, meals, etc, etc...so save a few clams on a cheaper medical?

:ugh:

Hey Ray Darr

Mahmood knows that i will be going to NZ for training so thats why he framed his reply like that.But I want to get my class 1 over and done with before i set foot on NZ shores.

hope that clears the confusion.


Cheers.

OOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooohhhhh!!

At least that little part of life is clear now. :p

Before you go, you should shame-name the doctor(s) who list themselves as NZ Doc's yet slam their door in your face when you try legitimately to approach them for what they are advertizing they do. That's just plain rude and wrong of them!

Best of luck with your training.

hi

Well i called emirates clinic today and they also said no:sad:

The Lady at the general enquiry told me they must have been listed on the NZ CAA website by mistake and they dont do Class 1 medicals for non-emirates staff.

Mistake my a**.

and the other 2 medical examiners i was talking about well one's phone number is not working and the other phone number i think belongs to Abu Dhabi Police Medical Services.The lady telephone operator keeps forwarding the call to an extension where it rings but no one picks up the phone.

The Medical examiner's name is Dr M ahmed.The lady operator says there is no such Dr on their rolls.

Looks like doing my NZ class 1 medicals in the gulf is not going to happen.

I think this is just the beginning of many hurdles i have to overcome to get things done in aviation.

If anybody knows any NZ CAA approved medical examiner in the gulf region who does medical assessment for individuals please post it here for other people to know or just pm me.

Tahnx in advance.

:hmm:

Hi there, in DXB Dr Akel on Beach Rd has been doing mine for yrs ( 043494880 ) didnt renew it this last yr but I presume he still does them and Aussie ones. Top Guy too.

Hey skape

I already called Dr Akel's clinic.the lady at the emirates clinic was kind enough to refer them to me.
i dont know how you have been renewing your licence because when i called Akel's clinic the sweet lady at the phone told me Dr Akel hasnt renewed his NZ medical examiner's licence for past 3 years.:hmm:

If you think i am lying call up the number you posted and find out for yourself.

Oh boy i smell a rat in :eek: here

Im sorry just checked the last one I had was for 2004-05 so think somone is telling a few mincies.