South African Airways (SAA) has canceled several international flights due to a pilot strike on Thursday, disrupting services to Perth, Australia, and São Paulo, Brazil. The airline’s senior corporate relations manager, Khaya Buthelezi, confirmed that the affected routes were suspended as no partner airlines could accommodate the stranded passengers.
The strike stems from a pay dispute with the South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA). The union initially demanded a 30% salary increase in May, later revising its request to 15.7%. SAA, however, has offered an 8.46% backdated pay rise effective from April 2024, insisting it cannot afford a higher increment.
Interim CEO John Lamola emphasized the airline’s precarious financial situation despite recently reporting a modest profit. “SAA cannot claim to be in a financially robust position,” Lamola stated, adding that the airline can no longer depend on shareholder contributions or government recapitalization.
Lamola also highlighted the irony of the strike coinciding with the fifth anniversary of SAA’s entry into business rescue in December 2019. “It is ironic that on this anniversary, pilots are demanding wage increases that could reverse the hard-won gains of our recovery,” he said. He warned that meeting the pilots’ demands would likely lead to bankruptcy, cautioning against a return to the historically lucrative benefits enjoyed by SAA pilots before the airline’s financial restructuring.
SAA argued that its final wage offer is competitive, exceeding general salary adjustments in South Africa and aligning with industry benchmarks for pilot pay.
To mitigate disruptions, the airline is implementing contingency measures, although further delays and cancellations remain a possibility. SAA, which emerged from business rescue in 2021, has been striving to rebuild its operations and financial stability after years of turmoil.
The strike marks a significant challenge for the airline as it seeks to balance operational viability with workforce demands in a fiercely competitive aviation sector.
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