This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Kenya Airways is facing a severe pilot shortage, which has resulted in the airline operating with 435 pilots against a required 497. This shortage has led to the airline losing Ksh5.18 billion ($50 million) annually.
According to a letter from Kenya Airways' director of operations, Paul Njoroge, to the Kenya Airlines Pilot Association (KALP) secretary-general and Chief executive Murithi Nyagah, the recruitment process to hire the pilots has started and is set to be completed in the next few days.
Published on September 10, 2019, the letter highlighted the airline's struggles with the pilot shortage, stating that the current number of pilots is 435 against a requirement of 497, resulting in a deficit of 62 pilots. However, 44 of these pilots are undergoing training due to the current ongoing promotion policy, which the airline has deemed ineffective and archaic.
As a result, the airline has announced plans to recruit 20 contract captains on the Boeing 737 in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions for a period of two years.
The existing CBA between the airline and the pilot's union limits KQ management from hiring more pilots and flight crew, forcing the airline to operate with limited staff. This has resulted in the airline delaying 40% 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 cost the airline Ksh118 million ($1.1 million), and the airline's management has expressed frustration with the situation, stating that it has resulted in the airline losing 'colossal amounts of money' and customer goodwill.
