South African Airways (SAA) on Thursday canceled flights to Perth and São Paulo after the SAA Pilots Association confirmed a strike due to delays in salary payments.
The airline’s senior Manager of Corporate Relations, Khaya Buthelezi, told reporters that the decision to cancel these flights was made Wednesday night, shortly after the strike was confirmed.
“That’s the decision we took last night. Since we could not find partner airlines to transfer our customers to, it became clear that those two routes must be canceled,” he said.
Reports indicate that as of early Thursday, there were no disruptions to domestic flights or routes across Africa, on account of contingency plans put in place.
Buthelezi also noted that some pilots and members of the SAA Pilots Association were seen picketing outside the SAA office at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.