Kenya Airways pilots resume work after court order

Kenya Airways pilots have returned to work after the employment and labour relations court ordered them to end their days-long strike.

The development is coming four days after the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) embarked on a strike at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport over poor welfare.

A KALPA spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that pilots have returned to work.

In a statement on Tuesday, Allan Kilavuka, group managing director and chief executive officer, Kenya Airways, said it agrees with the court’s decision.

The court directed immediate resumption to work by all pilots by 6 am, November 9, 2022.

“We thank the court for the expeditious ruling that now allows KQ to resume its normal operations. We commit to complying with the court’s directions,” the statement reads.

“We sincerely apologise to all our passengers and cargo customers for the inconvenience and disruption. We assure them that we will do everything possible to return to normalcy in the shortest time.

“We would also like to thank all our staff who have worked long hours and tirelessly to assist customers over the last four days. We appreciate their hard work and sacrifice.

“The path to recovery will be difficult and will require the airline to re-double its efforts to restructure, lower costs and increase staff productivity as well as recover the time, money and reputation lost.”