A trade union representing employees at provisionally liquidated airline Nationwide claims medical aid contributions were not paid over, but the airline denied this on Tuesday.

The United Association of SA's spokesperson Andre Venter said: "As if the shock announcement by Nationwide Airlines about its application for liquidation has not been enough, our members discovered that their medical aid contributions have not been paid over to Discovery for the past two months.

"This now effectively renders them without medical cover."

However, Nationwide Financial Director Peter Griffiths told Sapa: "I have no idea where they get a story like that from. We were completely up to date until we were provisionally liquidated."

Venter said this was discovered after doctors and pharmacies told patients that their cover had been suspended and bills would not be paid.

Employees need emergency medical care

They had checked with Discovery Health, the provisional liquidator and a human resources manager and confirmed this.

He said they were concerned about what would happen to employees needing emergency medical care and had tried unsuccessfully to facilitate an arrangement with Discovery Health.

Meanwhile, the airline's attorney Haroon Maher said they had received at least 10 expressions of interest locally and internationally in buying the airline, which went into provisional liquidation last week, stranding passengers countrywide.

"People are busy putting together offers," he said. "When the real offers come in, we can adjudicate."

If a buyer was found for the company, which includes 16 aircraft and a logistics and maintenance division, the airline would come out of provisional liquidation and jobs could be saved, he said.

Commenting on the last week, Griffith said: "It's been tough. We are still looking to see if there is a last minute buyer."

Meanwhile, an employee at the company dealing with the provisional liquidation said she alone had received about 4000 claims from passengers.

"They are upset, but luckily they are not upset with us. I have taken thousands of calls, and nobody has been rude," she said.

Sapa