WORKERS’ STRIKE DISRUPTS FLIGHTS AT KENYA’S MAIN AIRPORT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Flights and air traffic control operations at Kenya’s main airport were disrupted on Monday as a strike by aviation workers took effect, the national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) confirmed.
KQ warned passengers of “possible schedule adjustments, including delays,” urging them to confirm their flight status before proceeding to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), one of Africa’s busiest hubs. “We are currently experiencing air traffic control operational delays at Nairobi’s JKIA, affecting certain departures and arrivals,” the airline posted on X.
The strike was announced last week by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) over unresolved grievances, including delays in finalizing an employment agreement. The union had threatened a “total shutdown of Kenyan airspace” if its demands were not addressed by Monday.
Passengers reported long waits on the runway after boarding. “Two- to three-hour delays because of air traffic control—announced once you’ve boarded… with kids?” one user wrote on X. Other airports in the country were also affected by the slowdown. “We’ve been stranded at the Kisumu Airport for hours since morning,” Kenyan senator Boni Khalwale said on X.
This is not the first time airport workers have staged industrial action. In 2024, strikes at JKIA opposed a government plan to award India’s Adani Group a tender to expand the airport, citing potential job losses and financial concerns. The partnership was later cancelled after Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani was indicted in the United States on corruption charges.
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