The lack of pilot transformation at South African Airways (SAA) should not be blamed on the SAA Pilots' Association (SAAPA), as the number one culprit in the union's view is the government itself, according to SAAPA chair Captain Grant Back.
"Bad management led to a lack of growth at the airline. After all, the company employs pilots, not SAAPA. If there had even been as little as 5% growth a year and SAA had not been run into the ground, more pilots would have moved up the rank and be captains by today," said Back.
SAAPA members have been locked out by the airline's rescue practitioners since 18 December 2020, mainly due to a stalemate regarding proposed changes the airline wants to be made to a long-standing regulation agreement with the pilots union.
