This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Kenya Airways is facing a severe pilot shortage, with the airline operating at 435 pilots against a required 497, resulting in a deficit of 62 pilots.
The airline's director of operations, Paul Njoroge, wrote to the Kenya Airlines Pilot Association (KALP) secretary-general and CEO Murithi Nyagah on September 9, 2019, stating that the recruitment process to hire new pilots had started and would be completed in the next few days.
According to Njoroge, the current pilot shortage is exacerbated by the airline's promotion policy, which leaves 44 pilots undergoing training, and an average of 10% of pilots always on training, effectively increasing the shortage to 106 pilots.
As a result, the airline has announced plans to recruit 20 contract captains on the Boeing 737 for a period of two years, in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions.
The CBA also limits the airline's management from hiring more pilots and flight crew, forcing the airline to operate with limited staff, which has led to delayed flights and financial losses.
Between January and July 2019, KQ delayed 40% of its flights, resulting in a loss of Ksh118 million ($1.1 million) due to cancelled flights.
