SA’s Skills Drain Sees Pilots Leaving South Africa for the US As Airlines Continue to Struggle

• South African pilots can't find work in country and have since set their sights on greener pastures
• A number of skilled pilots are immigrating to the US as American airlines are short staffed and experiencing a post-lockdown boom
• A South African legal firm Harvey Law Group is currently assisting 33 South African pilots secure visa's to work in USA

South African pilots are jetting off to the United States for new opportunities after several local airlines were forced to close down.

South Africa's flag carrier, SA Airways(SAA), was forced to cut the number of pilots by over 80%. Mango, SA's low-cost carrier, has been grounded for over a year, and many speculate that it will never return to the sky. SA Express, which hasn't flown since the onset of the pandemic, was placed in final liquidation in September.

Read also

France under fire over Ukraine weapons deliveries

The closure of many of SA's domestic airlines has led to unemployed pilots flooding that work force many of whom are looking to get back into the industry.

In contrast to South Africa's situation, the US is experiencing a severe shortage of skilled pilots after the Covid-19 pandemic and international lockdowns forced many airlines to downsize their staff.

Bloomberg reported that almost 400 000 airline worker were fired, furloughed or told they may looses their jobs as a result of Covid-19 downing flights. By the time 2021 come to a close , US passenger airlines had let go of an additional 10 000 employees.

According to Business Insider, the lifting of travel restrictions and the increased demand for flights caught many airlines off guard. Several American airlines are struggling to fill the gap left by the mass retrenchment, spurring the western country's airlines to canvass for foreign talent.

Read also

Troubled Lesotho votes for parliament

South African law firm Harvey Law Group is currently assisting 33 South African pilots secure US National Interest Waiver (NIW). The NIW visa is based in merit and grants applicant access to a conditional green card.

South Africans react to the skills drain

Mzasni is pleased that the out-of-work pilots are receiving better opportunities.

Here are some comments:

@kgotsomaphike commented:

"I didn't expect them to sit around being unemployed."

@kmosebetsi congratulated:

"Good for them!"

@SwartEtienne celebrated:

"Good for them, good luck"

@Xoli_ka_Lindi claimed:

"Good for them. The countrys aviation industry has been completely destroyed so they have nothing to stay for."

Food prices go up by 14% compared to last year as petrol price set to decrease

In another story, Briefly News reported that South Africans are paying R586.39 more for a household basket compared to September 2021, according to the Household Affordability Index report. The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) released the findings on Tuesday, 29 September.

Read also

Armed cooking oil bandits plunder Johannesburg warehouse of sunflower oil, company offers R100K for suspects' arrest

The report indicates that citizens are paying almost 14% more for basic groceries than last year. Prices from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, and the Northern Cape were used to track the information.

Source: Briefly News