JOHANNESBURG – South African Airways (SAA) pilots will begin strike action on December 5 after rejecting the airline’s wage offer, threatening disruptions during the peak holiday season.

The SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) initially demanded a 30% salary increase in May before reducing it to 15.7% plus benefits. The airline countered with an 8.46% increase backdated to April 2024.

“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,” interim CEO Professor John Lamola warned Tuesday.

The strike announcement comes exactly five years after SAA entered business rescue in 2019. Despite recently reporting modest profits, Lamola emphasised the airline remains financially vulnerable and can no longer rely on government funding.

SAA’s offered increase exceeds typical 2024 salary adjustments in South Africa and matches raises given to other staff in June, according to management.

The airline says it is implementing contingency measures to minimize service disruptions and continues negotiations to reach a “fair settlement that is mutually beneficial.”

The dispute threatens SAA’s recovery just three years after emerging from business rescue in 2021.