FlySafair is facing turbulence, but not in the sky. The current pilot strike has pushed the airline into the spotlight, with many asking: How much do FlySafair pilots actually earn?
According to the company, captains earn between R1.8 million and R2.3 million per year, which places them among the top 1% of earners in South Africa.
Some even out-earn members of the airline’s own executive committee.
Industry-leading salaries for pilots
According to BusinessTech, FlySafair says these salaries are benchmarked above most local airlines, offering top compensation in a tight and highly skilled labour market.
It’s also not just flight hours that count. Captains logged an average of 63 flight hours last month, well under the regulatory ceiling of 100 hours set by the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA, and ICAO.
The airline also emphasised that non-flying duties, like training and standby shifts, are minimal and typically done from home. All of this, FlySafair argues, is already built into the pay structure.
The pay dispute
Despite already generous pay by national standards, pilots have rejected the company’s latest offer, which includes a 5.7% increase, 1.5 percentage points above inflation, with 90% of pilots voting in favour of the strike.
FlySafair claims this package includes additional benefits and a bonus.
The union, Solidarity, however, has been pushing for more. Earlier demands would reportedly drive up the company’s pilot-related costs by 20%, thanks to a 10.5% base salary increase plus extras like flight pay and performance bonuses.
That amounts to between R360 000 and R460 000 extra per year for captains.
FlySafair says that level of escalation is simply unsustainable for their company.
“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.” Solidarity said as per BusinessTech.
What do you think of that salary increase and how much FlySafair pilots earn?
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