Cape Town: Pilots at South African Airways have agreed to end their strike on Saturday, following a dispute over pay that led to widespread flight cancellations, with nearly half of the airline’s scheduled flights grounded on the first day of the industrial action. According to broadcaster eNCA, the airline reached an agreement with the SAA Pilots Association and the National Transport Movement to suspend the strike after two days of walkouts.
The dispute had arisen after a deadlock in salary negotiations between the airline and the unions, which led pilots to walk off the job. While South African Airways did not provide immediate comment outside regular business hours, eNCA reported that discussions between the unions and the airline regarding improvements to working conditions are set to continue.
On Thursday, the strike caused the airline to cancel flights to Perth and Sao Paulo, leaving passengers stranded. On the first day of the strike, South African Airways managed to operate just 51% of its scheduled flights, with international routes severely impacted, operating only 33% of planned international services.
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The airline is expected to resume full operations soon, following the resolution of the strike. The unions have not provided immediate comments regarding the details of the agreement.
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