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Saudia's hiring policy angers Saudi pilots

JEDDAH: A number of Saudi pilots plan to move the courts to get themselves appointed in Saudi Arabian Airlines .

The complaint of 55 pilots, who handed their brief to a Saudi lawyer, is that the airline has treated them unjustly violating rules and norms of hiring in the flight sector.

Lawyer Ahmad Al-Sudairy, who is representing the pilots, said in a press meeting on Monday that a lawsuit would be filed at the Jeddah Administrative Court after the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"My clients, who have completed 300 flight hours, say they have fulfilled the specifications to be appointed as accredited pilots for Saudi Airlines. A pilot should have logged 260 flight hours to be accredited as commercial pilots," Al-Sudairy said.

They received their licenses after having been trained in countries such as the United States, Britain, South Africa and Jordan in addition to acquiring proficiency in the English language from the US and Britain, he said.

They still have to be graded and trained as assistant pilots in new aircraft, such as Airbus 320 and MD90, he said.

"However, Saudi Arabian Airlines refused to appoint them on the argument that they did not fulfill the conditions set down by the airline. But the new conditions were introduced only 18 months ago before the pilots completed their training," the lawyer said.

A new condition that his clients do not fulfill is the clause that an applicant should be aged less than 27 years. He said the condition was never stipulated in the past, and foreign pilots are recruited even if they are 35.

Another new condition laid down by the airline is that the applicants should pass the English TOEFL examination to prove their language proficiency. He said the TOEFL is not a test for proficiency in flight communication. Further, the company does not demand foreign pilots to pass TOEFL, he said, adding that many skilled Saudi pilots have not passed the language test.

He added that his clients spent a large amount of money, mostly loans, to learn and get trained in the profession in foreign countries with the aim of serving Saudia . The new conditions laid down by the company means that they have wasted their money and efforts of many years.

He also pointed out that Saudi Arabian Airlines trained foreign pilots on the latest models of aircraft, but after completion of the training the pilots left the company creating huge losses to the company.

He said that while the Kingdom was striving to end unemployment among Saudis, the national carrier preferred foreign pilots despite the availability of qualified nationals.

© Arab News 2011