Airport authorities in Zimbabwe and Namibia are working to find alternative flights to Johannesburg for hundreds of stranded SAA passengers.
Strike action by the airline’s employees has affected operations. Workers downed tools on Friday morning to demand an 8% salary increase. SAA is offering 5.9%, subject to the availability of funds.
The airline also says it will implement its restructuring plan which will result in the retrenchment of more than 900 staff.
In Namibia, an SAA flight left Windhoek on Friday for Johannesburg. The airline thereafter cancelled all other flights. SAA has three daily flights into Windhoek.
Authorities say they are working with passengers to ensure they are accommodated on other airlines. They say the SAA strike will also affect their business as an airline pay for landing, storage and taking off from the airport.
With regards to Zimbabwe, SAA has four daily flights to Harare and daily flights to Victoria Falls and Bulawayo. The carrier will not be arriving in Zimbabwe on Friday as none of the outbound flights took off.
It’s still unclear what kind of contingency plans SAA has for passengers in foreign countries.
Union members affiliated to NUMSA and the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) reached a deadlock on wage negotiations with the airline this week.
SAA says it is financially crippled and cannot afford huge wage increases. It further added that the strike could potentially collapse the airline.
