Flight cancellations in South Africa begin today – FlySafair responds

FlySafair has confirmed that several flights have had to be cancelled today due to a pilot strike.

A total of 26 flights across South Africa have been cancelled, but operations continue largely as scheduled on Monday, 21 July.

“These flights were assigned to pilots who had confirmed their availability to fly, but who late last night, reported that they would not fly,” the airline said in a press release.

“All other flights are operating as planned, and affected customers have been contacted directly using details provided at the time of booking.”

The strike centres around a pay dispute between FlySafair and its pilots.

Trade union Solidarity, of which almost two thirds of FlySafair pilots are members, announced last week that its members would launch strike action this week.

90% of pilots voted in favour of the strike.

This is after it rejected FlySafair’s offer of an above-inflation 5.7% increase in salaries.

Solidarity demanded a 10.5% increase in base salaries for pilots, as well as additional flight pay and bonuses.

FlySafair said this amounts to “more than a 20% increase in overall cost to company – an unsustainable escalation for any company.”

The dispute turned ugly, with what was initially meant to be a one-day strike turning into 14 days.

“Solidarity’s one-day notice was aimed at forcing the company back to the negotiating table, but FlySafair has now escalated the dispute, which could last for weeks,” the union said.

“If 90% of a company’s key personnel want to strike, something is seriously wrong. Solidarity is calling on FlySafair to return to the negotiating table.”

Working conditions

FlySafair said that its Captains spent an average of 63 hours flying passengers in the cockpit in June 2025.

This is within the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA, and ICAO’s regulatory limits, which cap flight duty at 100 hours per month.

Other responsibilities are factored in, which include standby duty which is served from home.

For this time, FlySafair said that its pilots are among the best-compensated professionals in South Africa.

“Our Captains earn between R1.8 and R2.3 million annually – placing them well within the top 1% of earners in South Africa.”

Many pilots earn more than members of FlySafair’s Executive Committee. The salaries are benchmarked against other local airlines and are higher than most, it said.

FlySafair has said that it remains committed to engaging with its pilots in good faith, and regrets the impact on its customers.

“Our goal remains to reach a reasonable resolution quickly, restore trust, and continue building the airline so many South Africans rely on.”

“Should there be further disruptions, customers will be notified promptly.”