KQ open to talks with pilots, says looming strike will cost it Ksh.300M daily

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka now says that the airline’s management is ready to hold talks with a number of its pilots who have vowed to go on strike on Saturday, November 5, 2022.

This comes after multiple KQ pilots, under the larger Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) umbrella, on Friday ignored a court order and threatened to down their tools in protest of what they termed as neglect of their grievances.

While labeling the planned industrial action as illegal, Kilavuka - in a subsequent statement - extended an olive branch to the pilots noting that KQ's top brass is willing to hash out a deal with them to put an end to the looming strike.

"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," said Kilavuka.

According to Kilavuka, should the strike go on as planned, KQ will lose Ksh.2.1 billion a week, and this will negate the strides the airline has made to improve its financial position following the COVID-19 pandemic.

KALPA vowed that no flights operated by its staff would leave the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from 6am on Saturday.

"At a minimum, the unlawful industrial action will cost KQ approximately Ksh.300 million a day translating to Ksh.2.1 billion a week. This unfortunate action may affect both our passengers, who may not travel and our cargo customers, whose exports will be affected," said Kilavuka.

"It will greatly inconvenience travelers for business, medical, leisure, and those connecting with their loved ones and it could also lead to huge losses for farmers whose perishable goods are due for export. It is also counterproductive to the Government of Kenya's efforts to revive our economy and detracts from current efforts to ameliorate the extremely needy cases of Kenyans suffering from the effects of severe drought."

KQ customers intending to use the airline in the next 48 hours have been urged to reach out to the airline's customer excellence center via mail, whatsapp or phone for further instructions.