FlySafair faces a two-week strike by more than 200 pilots. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) 
Consistently rated Africa’s best low-cost carrier, FlySafair faces a two-week pilot strike that has exposed structural fatigue, fractured labour relations and serious questions around how South Africa’s most punctual airline balances growth, trust and governance.
At the heart of the dispute: more than 200 pilots – more than two-thirds of FlySafair’s crew – who, according to the trade union Solidarity, will down tools on 21 July after wage talks collapsed and a controversial management lockout triggered escalation.
What this means for you
If you have flights booked with FlySafair, you should consult their "travel updates" page to check if yours is one of the affected flights. If it is an affected flight, you have a few options. You can choose a new flight for the same route if there is one available, pick entirely new flights for a future journey or cancel the flight and receive a voucher for the full value of your flight costs - valid for 12 months.
The numbers behind the revolt
The wage dispute follows months of negotiation breakdowns. Solidarity rejected FlySafair’s 5.7% offer, demanding a 10.5% increase for 2025/26, with CPI-linked increases for the following two years.
Pilots point to schedule changes that have reduced rest periods and eroded family life. They say they’re exhausted, underpaid and pushed beyond reasonable limits.
FlySafair denies that rest or safety are in question. “Fatigue is not a concern,” said Kirby Gordon, FlySafair’s chief marketing officer, in written responses to Daily Maverick.
style="font-weight: 400;">told the SABC in an interview earlier on Sunday, 20 July, “Pilots are complaining, quite simply, of being overworked and underpaid, particularly against their global peers.”
“There’s a huge temptation for them to simply go and fly for another airline in another country, but that’s not what they want to do.”
Solidarity has framed the issue as not just economic, but ethical. Pilots want better pay, but they also want a return to what the union terms “respect, fairness and transparency”. The union had not responded to questions from Daily Maverick by the time of publication. However, separate salary negotiations for cabin crew are underway.
FlySafair disputes this framing. “This negotiation has been ongoing for a protracted period and has very much followed the guardrails provided by the CCMA and Labour Relations Act, which have seen us walk a process that has delivered us to this point,” said Gordon.
“To reduce the offer to a percentage is reductionist, because pilot remuneration is a complex matter considering various payments and allowances depending on each pilot… The full offer is far more generous and the full counter demand far more onerous.
“It stands to reason that the company simply cannot abide this demand and has thus been forced to walk opposed to it [at] this advanced point in negotiations.”
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FlySafair’s response to the strike was a lockout. Days before the strike began, the airline barred participating pilots from returning to work for a full seven days. Solidarity called the move “a deliberately destabilising conflict”.
Leitch was more blunt: “The one-day strike became a seven-day lockout and then a 14-day stayaway… It’s getting worse and worse.”
He warned that the lockout had “aggravated perceptions of management arrogance” at a time when tensions were already simmering.
Still flying – but for how long?
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 16 July , FlySafair said selected flights from 22-28 July were rescheduled “as a precaution”, and that affected passengers would be contacted directly and rebooked at no charge.
A number of University of Cape Town students will be missing the first few days of the semester due to delayed/rescheduled FlySafair flights.
Kim Maxwell told Daily Maverick she and her family flew with FlySafair from Durban to Cape Town on Thursday, 17 July. "FlySafair Durban-Cape Town flights from Friday, 18 July till Monday, 21 July were all 'sold out'. A friend ended up getting pneumonia and had to rebook flights - but couldn't find any available FlySafair flights - so they paid a fortune for flights on another airline," she said.
But operational strain is real. Leitch estimates FlySafair is operating at around 75% of its normal schedule, with striking pilots replaced by non-unionised or management flight crews. That substitution model, he says, is sustainable for only about a week before fatigue and limits set in.
“The airline can probably operate around 75% of its normal schedule,” he said. “But the remaining pilots can only absorb extra workloads for about seven days.”
Meanwhile, mediation efforts are under way – at least on paper. The CCMA has invited both parties to the table. Solidarity has confirmed its willingness to participate. FlySafair has yet to do so publicly.
The standoff has also taken a more personal turn. Solidarity claims the airline’s CEO and CFO have sold off R90-million in shares during the dispute. FlySafair has not commented, but the optics have inflamed internal sentiment.
“It’s never a good sign when senior management starts selling off shares,” Leitch said. “There’s a suspicion the airline has made really good money… supported by the massive increase in share price.”
FlySafair’s public image has long been one of efficiency, affordability and technical reliability. It’s a multiyear Skytrax winner with a 95.1% on-time performance rate. But its internal tensions now risk eroding the very trust on which that reputation is built.
“The airline will undoubtedly be damaged, not just financially, but in terms of labour relations,” Leitch warned. “It’ll break the natural level of good faith and trust between the pilots and management.”
Industry implications
This dispute isn’t just about FlySafair. It’s a warning bell for the wider aviation sector. Low-cost carriers globally have struggled with similar tensions.
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“Low-cost carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet also face continuous low-key warfare with pilots,” said Leitch. “It’s not unique, but full-scale strikes are rare.”
If not resolved soon, the dispute could spill over. Cabin crew are reportedly watching developments closely. Pilot shortages and international recruitment pressures mean experienced crew may not stick around if trust is lost. DM