SAA allays fears of financial collapse

South African Airways has allayed fears of a financial collapse amid mounting cash flow pressures. The airline is staggering salary payments for a second consecutive month with workers expected to receive their October salaries by this Saturday. This has been attributed to rising jet fuel costs, with Parliament also raising concerns around development at the national carrier. SAA Group Executive for Corporate Affairs Mphilo Dlamini explains the salary staggering process. “It was purely because we wanted to do what I can call trade-offs to make sure that we keep the airline running while making sure that at the same time, we pay our salaries. We did not necessarily pay all our salaries late for everyone. This affected about 30% to 40% of our staff. The majority of them, which is about 70% of our staff were paid on time, which is the 27th of each month. So the only groups that were affected by the staggering of the salaries – it was only pilots, management, and the board. The airline has been affected by a lot of constraints in terms of cause, the issue of the aviation fuel, that has increased drastically since the war in Iran started.” WATCH | South African Airways says it’s open for business, allaying fears of a financial collapse amid mounting cash flow pressures. Group Executive for Corporate Affairs, Mphilo Dlamini, explains the airline’s decision to stagger the payment of salaries. https://t.co/TiFR4Ek02E — SABC News (@SABCNews) October 29, 2026