Flights delayed as Kenya Airways technicians skip work

PUBLISHED: Mon, 05 Dec 2016 09:42:23 GMT
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 Kenya Airways said on Monday it was experiencing some disruptions to its flight schedules after an undisclosed number of technicians failed to show up for work, the latest in a series of labour-related hiccups to face the airline.

“We would like to advise our guests that we are experiencing some delays due to a number of our technicians not showing up for work … We are working to reduce these disruptions,” Kenya Airways said in a statement.  

“Our technical team is a vital part of our business and we are working together to resolve any outstanding issues.”

It said on its Twitter account that nine flights out of Nairobi had been affected.

Kenya Airways did not say how many technicians had stayed away from work, or what had prompted them to stay away from work.

On Oct. 16, the loss-making airline was forced to cancel several flights after some crew members also failed to show up for work.

On Nov. 3, the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) pilots union withdrew a strike notice it had issued in October, saying there had been progress on its demands, which included removing the top management.

The airline said in late November its chief executive officer Mbuvi Ngunze would leave in the first quarter of 2017, while in October it appointed Michael Joseph – the former chief executive of telecoms firm Safaricom – as its chairman.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa. Editing by Jane Merriman)

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