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Kenya Airways Pilots to Go Ahead With Strike Despite Court Order - BLOOMBERG
(Bloomberg) -- A Kenyan pilots’ union vowed to go ahead with a strike on Saturday, threatening to disrupt Kenya Airways Plc flights for thousands of travelers.
“There shall be no Kenya Airways aircraft departing Jomo Kenyatta International Airport flown by” a member of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association, the group said in a statement on Friday, referring to the Nairobi airport.
The union’s announcement comes days after the airline’s management said it obtained a court order blocking the planned industrial action.
Kenya Airways Gets Court Order to Stop Pilots’ Strike
“We reiterate that the industrial action is unlawful, ill-timed, and unnecessary at this point as it will delay and disrupt the ability of KQ to recover and eventually get the airline back to meeting all its obligations,” Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka said in an emailed statement.
The intended strike is also counter-productive to the government’s efforts to revive the East African nation’s economy, he said.
Kenya Airways, which is 48.9% state owned, was targeting to return to profitability in 2024 after overhauling its operations. It currently transports more than 250,000 passengers each month. A strike would put at stake an average of 60 to 70 flights and revenue of around 300 million shillings ($2.5 million) a day.
Both the airline and the union should urgently seek to resolve the impasse, which will damage a fragile recovery in the Kenyan aviation industry, according to an emailed statement by the Kenya Association of Air Operators.
(Updates with Kenya Airways comments in fourth paragraph, lobby group in final)