Arab News

By a Staff Writer

JEDDAH, 17 September — About 150 Saudi pilots are remaining idle at home without jobs as the American Embassy in Riyadh refused to issue them visas to complete their training courses in the United States, Al-Hayat reported.

Despite efforts by Saudi Arabian Airlines to solve the problem of these pilots by sending them to European countries for training, the Saudi pilots of MD-90 aircraft are required to visit the US for training on the aircraft. Training on MD-90 planes is not available in other countries.

“Most of the pilots are now sitting at home for about a year. They have to continue in the same situation for another year if the US does not change its regulations,” the paper reported quoting informed sources.

US authorities have blacklisted a number of Saudi pilots after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. “These pilots are not allowed to visit the US and would be questioned if they visited,” the sources said.

The sources told the Arabic daily that the US authorities had canceled the license of some pilots, despite their long hours of flying. There are also unconfirmed reports on American advice to fire 25 pilots from service.

Saudia is now seeking alternatives to confront the situation. It recently sent eight pilots to Britain for training. It is also building an aviation training center in the Kingdom to find a final solution for the problem.

Dr. Khaled ibn Bakr, director general of the airline, said Saudia has already signed a contract with a national company to establish the center in Jeddah. There will be two facilities at the center; one for aviation training and another for aviation safety. It aims at reducing training expenditures and avoiding problems related to sending Saudi pilots abroad for training.

“The center aims at training Saudi cadre in aviation to meet the Kingdom’s requirements,” an official statement by the airline company said, adding that the training would be provided in line with the rules and standards set by the American Federal Aviation Administration.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2002

Answers

I betcha the pilots who pass the classes in Saudi and get licenses still won't be allowed to fly planes into the US. Once they build their own training facilities, that is.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2002