South African Airways cancels flights as pilot strike takes effect
December 5, 2024
State-owned national carrier South African Airways (SAA) has become the latest airline impacted by pilot strikes following a deadlock in pay talks.
South African Airways (SAA) announced flight cancellations as a result of a pilot strike on Thursday with pilots picketing outside SAA’s offices at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Services to Perth in Australia and Sao Paulo in Brazil have both been put on hold with Khaya Buthelezi, the airline’s senior manager of corporate relations saying, “it became clear those two routes had to be cancelled,” as no partner airlines could be found to transfer passengers to.
The South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA) had initially tabled a 30% pay increase back in May. Although this has subsequently been lowered to 15.7% the airline has offered a backdated rise (to 1 April 2024) of 8.46%, warning it cannot support a greater pay increase for pilots.
John Lamola, the airline’s interim CEO said that while SAA recently reported a modest profit, the airline may not by any means claim to be in a financially robust position.
He also noted that the airline can “no longer expect shareholder contributions or recapitalisation from the fiscus.”
SAA’s final wage offer is significantly higher than the general salary increases in South Africa, according to the airline and is benchmarked against pilot salary adjustments.
Adding that SAA has only recently regained its operational viability after emerging from business rescue in 2021, Lamola said it was “ironic” that the pilots have chosen to go on strike e on the fifth anniversary of the day SAA was placed in Business Rescue in 2019. “SAA cannot return to the lucrative benefits that SAA pilots have historically enjoyed. Acceding to SAAPA’s current demand for a 15.7% wage increase will trigger SAA’s decline into bankruptcy,” he warned.
Although the airlines domestic and pan-African routes haven’t been impacted so far, with the peak holiday season looming the airline is planning contingency measures to minimise further disruptions to its schedule.
