SA Express is no more. This was the outcome of Wednesday’s liquidation order handed down by the South Gauteng High Court.
SA Express liquidated: What does this mean for workers?
As reported by Business Tech, the court order was finalised with no opposition from SA Express. Effectively, the low-cost airline that, once upon a time, afforded South Africans leisurely access to domestic flights at reasonable prices no longer exists.
Earlier this year, rumblings of a consortium interested in acquiring the airline’s assets, believed to be valued at a minimum ask of R50 million, were silenced by the Air Services Council’s decision to cancel SA Express’ licences in July 2022.
More than 600 workers who were retrenched when ‘cheap flights’ airline went into provisional liquidation in 2020 lost all hope of returning to their jobs.
In a statement quoted by Business Tech, representative of the newly-formed trade union, the Dynamic People’s Union of South Africa (DPUSA), Mashudu Raphetha lamented the ruling, claiming it “marks the saddest day of the aviation sector.”
“We were hoping the aviation sector would grow in leaps and bounds – but it’s a situation that we regret: those who hoped to come back to work for SA Express (won’t be able to). The final court order has been granted. It’s a sad day,” Raphetha said.
While workers will remain without employment for the foreseeable future, SA Express is expected to pay its retrenched workforce severance packages.
SA Express’ exit from the domestic aviation sector comes three months after Comair closed its doors.
The domestic carrier for British Airways, which also operated Kulula.com flights, was deemed too broke to save by business rescuers after repeated failure to secure the necessary funding needed to nurse its financial woes.