The strike at South African Airways (SAA) is now a source of worry for the tourism industry, according to local media reports.
Players in the aviation industry claim that a secondary strike will be a major blow as travelers prepare for the Christmas holiday.
"We could land up having an airline industry, and aviation industry, that's effectively derailed, and not able to do the job it's there to do," Airlines Association of South Africa’s Chris Zweigenthal was quoted as saying by ENCA.
Flight centre customer experience director Kim Taylor also said there is currently an element of uneasiness and uncertainty.
"I do think the question mark is there in terms of 'Do I book? Do I not book? What is going to happen to my travel for the next month, or the coming week?,” he asked rhetorically.
The South African Airways Cabin Crew Association (SACAA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) organised the industrial action as they are against the planned retrenchments and unmet demands for salary increment.
Travel and tourism contributed around R426 billion ($29 billion), just under 9% of GDP, to South Africa’s economy in 2018, making it the largest tourism market on the continent.
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