Day-Long Kenya Airways Strike Over
Kenya Airways pilots have ended their strike after court intervention. Since Saturday, the Kenyan airline has been struggling with actions by disgruntled staff, resulting in hundreds of flights being cancelled.
A judge in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, ordered the pilots to return to work but also ordered their employer to refrain from punitive measures against the strikers. Kenya Airways executives previously threatened “disciplinary action”. A few hours later, the KALPA pilots’ union confirmed that the strike was over.
Kenya Airlines reported that most flights could resume, but a flight from Schiphol to Nairobi was cancelled on Wednesday evening. As a result, the airline will not be able to fly according to the normal schedule until Saturday.
The striking pilots demanded that Kenya Airways, a shareholder of Air France-KLM, pay their full salaries again. Due to financial difficulties caused by the corona pandemic, Kenya Airways cut salaries. In addition, the pilots want their pension funds to be replenished.
Kenya Airways was established in 1977 as a successor to the failed East African Airways and flew more than 4 million passengers annually to 42 destinations. The company has suffered losses in recent years and is largely supported by government support. That strike costs society about 2.5 million euros per day.