KQ Cancels a Number of Flights Over Ongoing Pilots’ Strike

As pilots’ strike entered its third day on Monday, Kenya Airways canceled the majority of its flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and the government threatening disciplinary action if workers don’t report to work.

In defiance of a court order prohibiting industrial action, the pilots began their strike at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on Saturday, stranding thousands of travelers.

The strike has made matters worse for the struggling national carrier, which has been losing money for years despite receiving millions of dollars from the government to keep it afloat.

One of the biggest in Africa, the airline connects many nations to Europe and Asia and is partially owned by the government and Air France-KLM.

“Due to the ongoing unlawful industrial action by Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), most of our flights have been cancelled,” the carrier said in a statement, which came hours after the country’s transport minister threatened the protesting staff with disciplinary action.

Although KALPA earlier on Sunday stated that the strike would continue for the foreseeable future, it has not yet responded to the government’s warning.

Kipchumba Murkomen, the transport minister, urged the pilots to go back to work on Sunday and cautioned them against “disobeying a court order.”

“Considering the defiance of KALPA and their total disregard for the existing court order –- which is at the heart of the rule of law — the Ministry of Labour now has to activate the procedures governing industrial relations,” the newly-appointed minister said.

The airline reported on Sunday that 56 flights had been canceled as a result of the strike, upsetting the plans of 12,000 passengers.

The 10% of the workforce who are in protest want all salaries that were stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the reinstatement of provident fund contributions.

The strike was put an end by a court order last week, but a 400-member KALPA official told AFP that the pilots “were acting within the provisions of the law” and that they hadn’t yet received the court order.

If the pilots carried out their plans, the airline warned that the strike would endanger its ability to recover, estimating daily losses to be $2.5 million.

Following the demise of East African Airways, the airline was established in 1977 and now flies more than four million passengers to 42 destinations yearly.