October 17, 2016•Update: October 17, 2016
By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI, Kenya
Following a work slowdown and resulting flight delays, Kenya airways Sunday was forced to ground several international flights due to a strike which started last Thursday.
“Kenya Airways wishes to announce that some flights have been canceled this morning due to a shortage of crew,” said a company press release apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the cancellations.
The airline, which is 29.8 percent owned by the Kenyan government and serves over 50 destinations, the vast majority in Africa, added that the staff shortage means flying would violate safety regulations.
But the delays and cancellations left some customers frustrated.
At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, John Gumo, a businessman trying to get to Juba, South Sudan, told Anadolu Agency that he would never use Kenya Airways again.
“They made me miss my flight yesterday because of their ‘go slow’ [slowdown],” he said.
“I rescheduled the flight for today and agreed to pay the fine of $100. I came to the airport today and apparently, my flight wasn’t rescheduled despite the fact that I called to confirm. Now I had to pay a fine of $360, just for me to be told the flight has been cancelled. This is too much.”
The airline’s pilots have called for the resignation of CEO Mbuvi Ngunze by Tuesday or risk a larger strike.
Kenya Airways, one of Africa’s largest airlines, has been facing turbulent times, with some experts warning it risks total collapse. Last year it broke records for racking up the biggest losses of any company in Kenya.
The company showed a $256 million after-tax loss in the fiscal year ending in March. The airline has been shedding staff and selling off newly acquired planes to raise funds to remain in operation.
