Kenyan government orders pilots to resume work

The dispute between Kenya Airways (KQ) and the Kenya Airlines Pilot Association (KALPA) has ended after the Kenyan government intervened by issuing an order for KALPA pilots to resume work.

The order, issued by Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court on November 8, 2022, also bars Kenya Airways from “victimizing or taking disciplinary action against KALPA members,” according to a statement released by KALPA.

The union, which represents up to 400 pilots who fly for Kenya Airways, withdrew its Notice of Industrial Action issued on October 19, 2022, with the pilots resuming work on November 9, 2022, as ordered by the court.

This ended the four-day long strike which began on November 5, 2022 and was estimated to cost Kenya Airways approximately KES 1.2 billion ($10 million) in total.

Kenya Airways expects to resume full operates in three days
Having acknowledged the court ruling, Kenya Airways expects to restore its full operations schedule by November 12, 2022.

In a statement outlining the state of its operations, KQ revealed that 5,000 of the 12,000 affected passengers had been uplifted.

KQ scheduled and operated 48 flights out of its hub, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), on November 8, 2022, according to the statement.

The airline also highlighted that it scheduled 43 departures (50% of its normal operations) to be operated on November 10, 2022, expected to operate 70% of its network on November 11, 2022, and to resume its full operations by November 12, 2022.

Kenya Airways also revealed that it had uplifted approximately 50 tons of cargo.