Page 18 - World Airnews Magazine November 2020

PILOTS IN
CRISIS

in the cockpit with no flight plan because only to find a barrier in my way,” he said. have to re-apply.”

you don’t have a destination. You don’t “Either I don’t have the rating or due to “The best thing is the lawyers involved

know where you are going or how you are Covid-19 pandemic pilots are being laid off in the process have applied for Employ-
going to get there”. She said part of her is and nobody is hiring. I have tried to apply ment Equity over-ride which means that
grieving because Covid-19 hit so quickly for computer programming position but besides EE they will have the last say as to

with no chance of closure. my experience is a bit out-dated now as who gets this position. It’s just disgusting.

“I love aviation but things have drastically the world has moved on since I was last in The airline is finished and what the hell do

changed in the industry and we’ve all had this field.” I do?” he said.
to figure out new career paths but because Luckily his wife has retained her work Some pilots have taken Voluntary Sever-

we’re trained to be resilient, whatever we so at least there is one income. They have ance Packages but, said Matthew, SAA did

do will become a success,” she said. been able to live on savings and are being not offer any “sweeteners” to the deal so a

HE HAS GOOD DAYS AND helped with grocery vouchers paid for by lot of us did not take up this offer and are
other members of the family.

rather waiting to be retrenched. So, with
DARK DAYS “I have good days and I have dark days. I this process unresolved we sit in limbo –

He came into aviation after starting out know there are others worse off than me. I unable to access our pension or provident

learning how to do commuter program- just loved working at SA Express it was like funds. Think about it! I have not received a
ming. He used the money he earned here a family. Everyone knew everyone. I just salary since April. I just wish that the mat-

to pay for his studies in aviation, complet- don’t know what I am going to do? ter could be resolved. Either way though

ing his PPL, getting his night rating CPL and As a 57-year-old captain Andre is busy the government has to come up with the
instructors. It was his dream to fly. facing a future where his chances of get- finances. If they don’t’ then liquidation is

Andre (not his real name) began his ting an aviation position are few and the only other option. If that happens our

career flying the 402 and Seneca but far between. pay-out will be minimal.

always wanted to fly for the commercial “I am really struggling trying to come to
airlines, His break came when an opportu- HE IS ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED terms with what is happening. I still can’t be-

nity opened up at SA Express and he rose Matthew (not his real name) is really angry lieve it. I feel isolated and angry with what is

to the position as training caption on the with what has happened to him. He is in his going on,” he said having spent almost two

Dash Q400. early forties with a wife and two children. decades involved in the aviation world.

“I had just done a stint training on the Up until this year he was flying the A330 He said he had heard that Tito (Mboweni)

sim in Ethiopia. I came back for two weeks and A340 widebody aircraft across the Minister of Finance is expected to make

leave and was on stand-by to return when I African continent and beyond. some announcement in his mid-term bud-

received the news,” he said. But even before Covid-19 hit, he and his get speech at the end of October but even
SA Express had gone into liquidation. colleagues got wind that the national car- if funds made available these will likely only

Since February this year, Andre has not rier was in distress. At first, Matthew said, come available in February next year – an-

received a salary. He also battles with the everything seemed fine. “The Business other wait for the next four to five months.

same questions all pilots are facing: what Rescue Practitioners were appointed and Matthew said he holds the department of

now? where to next? plans were in place. Then lockdown hap- public enterprises, the incompetent man-

“This was a dream of mine and I don’t pened and all the operations were scaled agement of SAA and corruption by the ANC

want to give up on it. I can’t tell you how down and now I hear that there is only government officials as having contributed
many times I have tried to apply for a job place for 88 pilots and we are all going to to the demise of the national carrier. Q

World Airnews | November / December 2020
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