This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Kenya Airways has been struggling with a pilot shortage, which has resulted in delayed and cancelled flights. According to the airline's director of operations, Paul Njoroge, the recruitment process to hire new pilots has started and is expected to be completed in the next few days.
As of September 9, 2019, the airline had 435 pilots, but required 497 to meet its flight frequencies. This shortage has led to the airline losing Sh5.18 billion ($50 million) annually.
The airline has been operating with limited staff due to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the airline and the pilot's union, which limits the management from hiring more pilots and flight crew.
As a result, the airline has delayed 40 per cent of its flights in the first seven months of 2019, with 52 flights cancelled in the first 18 days of August alone. The cancelled flights have cost the airline Sh118 million.
Kenya Airways management has expressed frustration with the situation, stating that the airline has lost 'colossal amounts of money' and customer goodwill due to the shortage of pilots.
