#294 Should South Africa Still Own An Airline? SAA Pay Staggered Again, Buyer Due By Feb
· 51 min · Explicit
Episode #294 Should South Africa Still Own An Airline? SAA Pay Staggered Again, Buyer Due By Feb
DESCRIPTION:
SAA has staggered its October salaries for the second month running, and The Citizen reports that Treasury has given the airline until February to find a buyer. Two former airline pilots who have both had the message that pay will be late ask the question out loud: should South Africa still own an airline?
Bryan Roseveare and Ryan Parrock are back together after a few weeks apart. In this one they cover the SAA pay crisis, the flydubai 1073 crew collecting their medals, the state of OR Tambo as a new chief executive arrives, and whether your child should become a pilot in South Africa right now.
The SAA story first. TimesLIVE reported an internal memo that staggers October pay by staff group, with executives paid last, and September was staggered too. Treasury's R1 billion guarantee is a promise to a lender, not cash paid to the airline, and The Citizen reports it comes with conditions: name the assets for sale within 90 days, deliver a plan with independent valuations by 3 December, report every quarter on which routes make money, and find a buyer by February. Bryan and Ryan ask who would take on SAA's debt in a market where FlySafair, Airlink, Lift and CemAir are growing, and what a late payday does to a crew who still have to go to work and fly you safely.
Then the flydubai 1073 crew, decorated in Dubai on Monday with the First Class Order of Zayed II for landing the aircraft after the 30 September cockpit incident. Nova News reports that one of the relief pilots who landed it in Tabuk is from Kimberley. Ryan and Bryan talk about what this does to simulator training, cockpit door rules, the crash axe, and the psychometric tests every pilot sits before a job.
OR Tambo gets a new chief executive on Sunday. ACSA made a R1.2 billion profit last year, and Bryan, just back from Europe, describes the immigration queue and the state of the terminal that greeted him. He felt ashamed, and he says so.
And the question parents ask Bryan more than any other: should my child become a pilot? Ryan's honest answer, the medical to do before you spend a cent on training, how long it took one young first officer to reach the airline, and the pilots who told Bryan they would not do it again.
IN THIS EPISODE
SAA staggers October salaries for a second month, and Parliament wants answers by Friday
What the R1 billion Treasury guarantee is, and the conditions The Citizen reports come with it
Who would buy SAA in a market where FlySafair, Airlink, Lift and CemAir are growing
Crew stress when the pay message lands, and why the industry is behind the SAA crews
The flydubai 1073 crew collect their medals, with a South African reportedly among them
Cockpit doors, crash axes and pilot psychometric testing after flydubai 1073
OR Tambo gets a new chief executive, and Bryan's own walk through international arrivals
Where ACSA's R1.2 billion profit went
Should your child become a pilot in South Africa right now
Do the aviation medical first, then choose your training
Paying back the training loan, and ten years from licence to airline
Lifestyle, burnout, luck and networking without LinkedIn
Sports banter, the Superbrew standings, and an AI agent that lives inside WhatsApp
I'm Bryan Roseveare. I was an airline captain. I still go to work on the flight deck. It's just a full flight simulator now, and the pilots I train are the ones who fly you around.
SOURCES
TimesLIVE, 22 October 2026: SAA salaries delayed again as cash flow crunch threatens national carrier → https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-22-saa-salaries-delayed-again-as-cash-flow-crunch-threatens-national-carrier/
Sunday Times, 24 October 2026: SAA's finances under fire as cash squeeze tightens → https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/news/2026-10-24-saas-finances-under-fire-as-cash-squeeze-tightens/
The Citizen, 22 October 2026: SAA receives R1bn guarantee, further bailouts not ruled out →…
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