South African Airways running out of cash as unions seek to expand strike

Passengers board a South African Airways plane at the Port Elizabeth International Airport in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, September 30, 2018.

South African Airways (SAA) is running out of cash and could be liquidated if the government doesn’t give it additional guarantees soon, a board member said on Wednesday, as trade unions threatened to escalate a crippling strike.

State-owned SAA has racked up losses of more than 28 billion rand ($1.9 billion) over the past 13 years and wants to cut jobs as part of a turnaround plan.