Kenya Airways (KQ) suffered a substantial loss during a recent workers’ strike against the controversial government’s deal with India’s Adani Group over the JKIA takeover.
According to Kenya Airways CEO, Allan Kilavuka, the one-day strike led to at least Kshs80 million in operational costs and revenue loss.
Kilavuka noted that the national airline incurred the loss due to compensation, rebooking of travelers’ flights, and cost of time as some flights were canceled or delayed following the strike.
“Strikes are very bad for us. Not only are they disruptive and inconvenient to our customers, they are also very costly,” he noted.
On September 11, 2024, Kenya’s aviation workers downed their tools over the unpopular government’s plan to become the national strategic asset to the India-based company. The strike left thousands of travelers stranded due to flight delays and cancellations.
Apart from the JKIA, the demonstrations affected operations at other airports in Kenya, including Eldoret International Airport and Moi International Airport.
The Kenyan Aviation Workers Union’s call for its members to strike was informed by the revealed that the Adani Group intends to lay off local employees and bring in non-Kenyans.
However, the aviation workers agreed to call off the strike after talks with the government.
Deal Grilled
The Kenyan government has consistently reiterated that the Adani deal was just a proposal and that no formal agreement has been reached with the Indian company.
On September 23, 2024, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi was grilled by the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation, and Housing over the controversial deal.Mbadi was taken to task to reveal whether the government conducted due diligence to determine if the Adani company is corrupt or if any country has barred it.
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Africa. In 2022-2023, the airport handled over 8.8 million passengers.
Related: Strike at JKIA leaves Passengers Stranded and Flights Grounded
