UCLAbruins

Well the secret is out, Netjets is seriously studying the China market, and most likely will be Santulli's next project.

There are several articles floating around about the severe pilot shortage China is facing. Chinese airlines have to hire foreign pilots and are having a hard time keeping up. My question is- Where are the pilots for this venture going to come from???? Will it be like Continental's situation in Guam, where they send the junior guys, or will they hire pilots from all over the planet and base them there?? Is pilot supply a consideration, or worry about that bridge when you get to it? any rumors, comments

cheers

jetlag7

From what I've heard, initially it looks like it is going to be operated by a Chinese-owned contract carrier doing business as NetJets China -- similar to what is currently set up with NetJets Middle-East.

UCLAbruins

Thanx Jetlag7, I was asking because I heard NJ China will be much larger than NJ Middle East.

jtf560

Nobody knows yet what it will or won't be. Most likely NetJets China or Asia or whatever they call it will end up being more like NJE and very big, but that won't be any time soon. NetJets signed a contract with an unnamed company to negotiate only with them for something like 6 months (I believe the exact same time frame as the study they are conducting). If something soon does come from the negotiations it will have to be something like NJME since Santulli said quite recently there is no way they are ramping up a full scale project until the infrastructure and regulations are much improved. I would also have to guess that if something structured similarly to NJME does start up in the near term, the contract will have some strong stipulations that will allow a full scale operation to come in when the time is right and that it will probably be a different operation. That's my guess anyway.

I just hope if this does really take off well, the union at NJA will be able to negotiate some work rights for us to go over there and then return to NJA like the original LOA for NJA pilots to go over to NJI and then come back with full seniority later if they so choose. I know there are a lot of pilots at NJA that would welcome the chance to work over there for at least a while and I think it would be good for the company at the same time.