Pilots call off strike at South African Airways

By Babagana Jidda

Kanempress

December 8, 2024

Reports gathered by Kanempress say that pilots at South African Airways (SAA) have agreed to end a two-day-old strike , which caused cancellation of nearly half of the carrier’s flights on its first day.

The airline on Saturday reached an agreement with the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) to halt the protest.

This was two days after the pilots went on strike following a deadlock in pay talks.

SAAPA’s initial demand in May was for a 30% increase in pilot salaries, which was subsequently reduced to 15.7%, including associated benefits.

SAA, which initially offered an 8.46% pay increase backdated to April, said it had now offered a salary hike of 9.47%.

The union was not available for comment.

The South African airline flew 51% of planned flights on Thursday, the first day of the strike, including only 33% of its international flights.

It said it expected a full return to the regular flight schedule by Sunday.