Flights out of Nairobi in Kenya are being affected by strike action from aviation workers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The strikes are being carried out by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) over pay and conditions and began yesterday.
The Kenyan Airports Authority (KAA) said that recovery efforts are underway.
“Operations are progressively stabilising, with normal schedules expected to resume as soon as possible,” KAA said on social media.
It added that it was working closely with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, airlines and other stakeholders to ensure business continuity across all its airports.
However, responses to the posts suggest that flights were still facing disruption this morning.
Kenya Airways Cargo re-posted an update from the airline suggesting that flights were being delayed by around four hours.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience and are working closely with the relevant aviation authorities and airport stakeholders to minimise the impact on our customers and maintain our safe operations,” Kenya Airways said.
The KAWU has accused the KCAA of failing to negotiate and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement that expired in 2015; refusing to deduct union dues; using workers on temporary contracts for the long term; issuing HR policy without union involvement and downgrading jobs, amongst other complaints.
Kenya’s main airfreight exports are perishable goods, which are particularly susceptible to any delays.
The strike comes shortly after the busy Valentine’s Day period where flower volumes on services to Europe boom.
