This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
Published on September 12, 2019, Kenya Airways is set to cut down on routes and hire 20 pilots on contract to reduce flight cancellations that are costing the national carrier Sh5 billion annually.
The airline's brand is under threat due to thousands of disrupted travellers who may opt not to fly with the airline again, according to a memo to pilots by director of flight operations Paul Njoroge.
Kenya Airways has a shortage of 106 pilots and is moving to hire 20 pilots on two-year contracts to serve its Boeing 737 fleet.
The airline blames Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa) for the restrictive hiring clauses in collective bargaining agreements (CBA) that have seen pilot numbers lag behind the flight numbers.
However, Kalpa general secretary captain Muriithi Nyagah said KQ management is paying for being overambitious in expanding routes without addressing crew shortage.
"Why increase frequency when you don't have the right numbers? It was always going to be a recipe for failure," said Mr Nyagah.
While Kalpa has welcomed the move to hire 20 new pilots, it says the number is not sufficient.
Kenya Airways, with Sh8.5 billion loss in the first half of 2019, targets trimming operational costs and pilot salaries, which it says eat up 40 per cent of the payroll but comprise just 13 per cent of all workers.
