Kenya Airways Calls Out NTV, Denies Cancelling Flights Due To Cabin Crew Shortage

National carrier Kenya Airways has dismissed reports by the Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets NTV, Daily Nation and the Business Daily that the airline had been forced to cancel and delay flights due to cabin crew shortage.

The reports had claimed that the airline was desperate for the crews to operate its flights amidst a sharp rise in bookings ahead of the festive season.

Furthermore, they indicated spot checks which showed that six flights on Wednesday, December 13 did not have enough crew as per the law to fly as well as five flights on Thursday, December 14, adding to 17 flights delayed in the last two days, one of them delayed by more than 6 hours.

"They include KQ2580 which was delayed by 6 hours 20 minutes, KQ610 (2 hours 20 minutes), and KQ612 (1 hour 15 minutes).

"Sources familiar with the details said flight cancellations, especially for passengers heading to European destinations come with a heavy financial burden to the airline as the carrier must pay about Sh92,000 per affected passenger in refund," an excerpt of the Business Daily report read in part.

However, the airline flagged the reports as false and faulted the media house for declining to mention that it added more than 314 cabin crew and 91% of those whose contracts had not been renewed during COVID have since been recalled.

"Kenya Airways wishes to clarify as FALSE the assertion by Nation Media Group outlets (Daily Nation, NTV and Business Daily), that cabin crew shortage is resulting in flight disruptions.

"The articles further assert that “The shortfall in the number of cabin crew workers comes after KQ let go of some of its staff members in 2020 to cut costs due to depressed earnings caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”," KQ addressed this in a statement on Thursday.

Kenya Airways stated that at the moment, it has 853 cabin crew compared to 936 before the COVID-19 period.

KQ adheres to industry regulations, meticulously following the operational guidelines outlined by the regulatory authority, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, to ensure the highest standards of right staffing, safety and service.

"Moreover, it’s worth noting that the recent flight delays acknowledged by the airline are primarily attributable to logistical challenges related to the on-time delivery of spare parts, as transparently communicated earlier. Kenya Airways remains dedicated to resolving these challenges swiftly and diligently, assuring its valued passengers of continued operational excellence in line with its unwavering commitment to the highest safety standards," it further explained.

KQ argued that just like any other organisation, employees at times are unable to turn up for work for varied reasons, sickness, and family emergencies, among others.

For such a scenario, the airline revealed that it has a crew scheduling team that reaches out to those not rostered through phone calls or WhatsApp messages on their availability.

"It is important to state that this is an industry practice the world over. It is therefore unethical and very unprofessional to reference regular WhatsApp messages and imply that it is a contribution to Cabin crew shortage," KQ slammed NMG.