From an outside perspective it seems very unlikely that an airline as dominant as FlySafair could potentially be seeing it’s life flash before it’s eyes, but not for the reasons you might think. The flight crew strike currently making headlines, while causing a fair bit of disruption, could well be the lesser of two headaches for FlySafair.
In mid-July, it emerged that unionized pilots (represented by Solidarity) flying for low-cost airline, FlySafair were about to go on strike after an annual pay increase of 5.7% was rejected, along with other concerns related to a new rostering system. The airline had subsequently cancelled a host of regular flights (mostly between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban). They had claimed that around 12% of their flights were cancelled, however it has been quoted in the media that as much as 41,9% of their flights had been removed from their schedule before the strike had ended. The actual impact is hard to deduce, although it seems that the impact on near-term flights was limited, with the most impact showing on flights further into the future.
While the strike has seemingly ended today (1 August), I wanted to take a look at two key issues. The first being the rostering system that has been one the pilot group’s biggest concerns, and the as-yet not fully understood issue around the company’s ownership that lies outside of South Africa’s borders, and what that might mean for its future.
Rostering system dispute
The move from an old rostering system to a new one seems to be one of the biggest concerns raised by the pilots, stating that the new system, which has been labelled by FlySafair as a new industry standard scheduling system, has caused severe disruption to the pilots’ quality of life, and offered inadequate resting periods and time off. The airline is said to have moved from an SEC rostering system to a modern open rostering system, and here we’ll look at the key differences between the two.
SEC Rostering
The SEC rostering system is an older (now no longer in use with FlySafair) rostering system that is very predictable, but less flexible than the system they use today. The SEC system (Seniority, Experience and Contract) is more structured and focused on hierarchy than newer systems, and from the airline’s perspective, probably a lot less cost effective. SEC based rostering gives preference to more senior pilots and allows them to get the priority pick on routes, days off and schedules. Guaranteed days off are built into this system, and this is probably where the frustration has originated from the side of the pilots.
New Open Rostering System
In Q1 of 2024, FlySafair implemented the AIMS Crewing and Operations Control system to replace the SEC system described before. This system is currently in use by other airlines around the world, such as (based on publicly available information):
Air Mauritius
Etihad Airways
Gulf Air
TAAG Angola Airlines
Wizz Air
EasyJet
Virgin Atlantic
Avianca
The system from AIMS, which is one of several companies that offer this kind of crew scheduling system, works with automated and rule-based scheduling which is extended to pilots on shorter notice than they would have been used to on the older system. The older system offered the more set schedules extended further in advance, which would have allowed pilots to plan breaks and family time more effectively, and this is where the departure point came. While the new system offers FlySafair crew rest days in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, the ability for pilots to secure weekends off has been significantly impacted, with outlooks on schedules extended in the near-term, and off days often falling on week days.
As part of the system’s functionality though, pilots can submit preferences for days off, routes and pairings, and even request route trades or swaps with other pilots, although this is subject to FlySafair’s internal policies and options may be different.
The problem however is that this is becoming the norm in the airline industry, and what pilots at FlySafair are holding on to is a dwindling option at other airlines around the world. One of the more popular crew management systems in use today at some of the largest airlines in the world (such as Emirates and Lufthansa) is Jeppesen Crew Solutions, which is now using AI based algorithms to maximize efficiency and cost reduction when it comes to assigning crews to flights, and managing their bidding. It’s debatable whether some of these larger carriers put the needs of their crews first in this regard.
So while the concerns of pilots at FlySafair are very valid (as the expectation would have been set when those crews joined the airline), the existence of this new scheduling system is something that FlySafair may not have been able to avoid if they were to remain competitive.
The rostering system and the issues around it though, may be the least of their worries.
Ownership issue
In late 2020, Airlink and Global Airways (Lift) submitted complaints against FlySafair with the Air Service Licensing Counsil (IASLC) that the low-cost airline was in violation of South African regulations, which stipulate that foreign ownership of South African airlines should be capped at a 25% stake. FlySafair was then (and still is today) 75% owned by an Ireland based company called ASL Aviation.
In late 2024 the IASLC threatened FlySafair with sanctions because of the complaints, and could have included suspension of its license. After FlySafair filed an interdict against the ruling, they were to resolve the ownership issue within 12 months (December 2025 deadline). The matter is currently being fought by FlySafair on the basis that the regulator sights control of the airline rather than it’s ownership as the foundation of its rules, and that the carrier is more than 75% controlled by South African entities, if not owned.
The matter is littered with legal intricacies, but holds a danger not only to FlySafair, but to other airlines as well. If the IASLC regulations are enforced, it may have a wider impact on the South African airline industry, because a president will have been set that could see airlines such as South African Airways and Airlink fall to the same fate given SAA’s governmental ownership (not a natural person as per the regulations) and Airlink’s own investment from abroad. Considering that the deadline also falls over the December period, one can only imagine the gravity of the disruptions that would take place in South Africa if the deadline is passed without a change in FlySafair’s balance of ownership, and their license is revoked.
Given the risk to the South African airline industry in this regard, one could find it hard to believe that these rules would be enforced with the result that FlySafair’s license to operate would be suspended. The economic impact to the country as a whole could be very damaging, and while Global Aviation and Airlink had grounds to make these complaints, the outcome of an enforcement could have unintended consequences that could backfire on airlines like Airlink.
Sources:
https://www.aimsairlinesoftware.com/copy-of-news-page-3
https://www.aimsairlinesoftware.com/crew-management
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-16-airlines-fight-threatens-widespread-grounding
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