A two-day strike by South African Airways (SAA) pilots has been suspended after the airline and the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) reached a wage agreement.

The Witness reports the strike, which began on Thursday, disrupted flights and threatened the airline’s finances ahead of the peak holiday season.

SAA said the strike was suspended early this morning following successful negotiations with SAAPA.

As part of the agreement, SAA offered pilots an additional 1% increase, raising the total salary increase to 9.4%.

Interim SAA CEO John Lamola said the airline was committed to implementing work-life concessions to boost pilot productivity.

Over 100 pilots were expected to return to duty by noon, with the airline set to resume a full flight schedule tomorrow.

The strike disrupted local, regional, and international routes, with Lamola warning that a prolonged strike would have caused severe damage to the airline.