Passengers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi were left stranded for more than 6 hours as Kenya Airways pilots began their strike on Saturday morning.
Over 9,000 travelers were affected with KQ saying 40 flights could be cancelled by end of the day, with 6,000 tons of cargo also affected by the industrial action by pilots with the airline losing at least $2.5 million daily.
The pilot’s lobby, Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) says they are not resuming duties until the KQ management team addresses their grievances including: KQ Management’s unilateral withdrawal of the Staff Provident Fund, KQ’s Management’s Non-adherence to Kenya Civil Aviation Regulations, Leadership and governance shortcomings at KQ, Victimization and harassment of KALPA officials and Exploitation and harassment of young pilots.
The airline said it was doing everything possible to minimize the effects of Saturday’s pilots’ strike, but it could not rule out cancellations or delays.
Allan Kilavuka, Kenya Airways CEO said the strike was “unlawful industrial action {which} negates the strides KQ has made this year in improving its financial position following the COVID pandemic that affected the economy.”
“We are willing and ready to engage with KALPA within the confines of their mandate in an open
negotiation to find practical and lasting solutions,” the airline chief said in a statement to newsroom.
