South African Airways\u2019 plane-maintenance division is cutting jobs to help navigate the crisis that\u2019s gripped the air-travel industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
The restructuring is unavoidable in light of reduced demand from its airline customers, SAA Technical said in a statement.<\/p>\n
While the state-owned company didn\u2019t specify how many employees would be affected, Derek Mans, a representative of the Solidarity union, said about 60% of a total workforce of just over 2,000 could be eliminated.<\/p>\n
The move comes more than a year after SAA, the national carrier and SAA Technical\u2019s main customer, last flew a commercial flight.<\/p>\n
The airline has been mired in bankruptcy proceedings and its own major job-cuts plan, while international travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 have hampered efforts to resume even a partial service.<\/p>\n
Mango Airlines, another member of the SAA group, is also in difficulty. The low-cost carrier was briefly suspended from flying Wednesday by the country\u2019s airports operator over the non-payment of fees.<\/p>\n
The airline eventually settled part of its debt after emergency talks.<\/p>\n