Kenya Airways, the national carrier, is grappling with a shortage of cabin crew, compelling the airline to cancel and postpone flights, posing a threat to its revenues during the crucial peak festive season.
Confidential communications exchanged between KQ, the airline identified by its international code, and its cabin crew indicate the airline’s urgent need for crews to manage the surge in bookings. The ongoing cancellations and flight delays, which commenced as early as December 3, 2023, will result in revenue losses for KQ. Additionally, the airline will be required to compensate passengers stranded in various locations, some of whom may need accommodation in hotels while awaiting their rescheduled flights.
“(Good) Morning, should you be in a position to assist? Below are uncrewed today, December 3, 2023; KQ708-1FP, KQ002-1FA,” the carrier in an internal memo.
KQ did not respond to questions on the extent of the disruption of its flights though a spot check revealed that on December 13, flights KQ102-FA, KQ792-FA, KQ250-FP, KQ310-FP, KQ2-FA and KQ 624-FA did not have enough crew as per the law to fly.
On December 14, flights KQ 706-FP, KQ 482-FP, KQ256-FP, KQ762-4FA, and KQ704-FP encountered similar challenges. Furthermore, over the past two days, a total of seventeen flights have experienced delays.
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Among these delays, KQ2580 faced a setback of 6 hours and 20 minutes, KQ610 was delayed by 2 hours and 20 minutes, and KQ612 experienced a delay of 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Insiders familiar with the matter disclosed that flight cancellations, particularly for passengers traveling to European destinations, impose a substantial financial burden on the airline. For each affected passenger, the carrier is required to pay approximately Sh92,000 in refunds.
The shortage of cabin crew members arises following staff reductions by KQ in 2020 as a cost-cutting measure due to diminished earnings caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
KQ’s CEO, Allan Kilavuka, had indicated on Tuesday the potential disruption of operations due to the crew shortage. This challenge comes at a time when the airline was already recovering from interruptions caused by a shortage of spare parts, leading to the grounding of some of its aircraft.
