JKIA Workers Strike

Adopted from the star, March 6, 2019

Hundreds of passengers are stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after flights were disrupted following a strike by aviation workers over a management row.

The workers are opposed to a planned handover of management to Kenya Airways.

The Kenya Airports Authority workers say the plans will render most of them jobless and want the plan to be discarded.

The strike caught many passengers by surprise and has led to a crisis at one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s busiest airports.

KAA in a statement on Tuesday said the strike notice dated February 27 by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union stands suspended following the issuance of an order of injunction by the Employment and Labour Relations court on March 5.

“We wish to assure the general public of normal operations at all our Airports,” KAA tweeted.

In a statement, on Wednesday morning, Kenya Airways warned the public to expect disruptions on flights.

“Customers on flights after 11 am are advised not to come to the airport until further communication is shared. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” KQ tweeted.

KQ seeks to enter into a concession agreement with the Kenya Airports Authority to operate and maintain the airport.

Transport CS James Macharia on Monday dismissed claims that KQ operates planes owned by private individuals linked to the planned takeover.

CS Macharia clears air on KQ planes ownership

The CS said KQ operates 40 planes – 20 are it’s own and the rest are leased.

Macharia said the airline has leased some of its aircraft to other airlines to address overcapacity and to optimize the use of its assets.

The CS said the ministry will continue to work with Kenya Airways “to further optimize the airlines’ fleet to boost revenues and reduce costs.”

His clarification came when two Parliamentary committees are digging into the deal suspected to be a plot by rich individuals to take over JKIA through the national carrier.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, formerly called Embakasi Airport and Nairobi International Airport, is Kenya’s largest aviation facility, and the busiest airport in East Africa.

Its importance as an aviation center makes it the pacesetter for other airports in the region. The Airport is now fully operational following the August 7th fire incident with expansion plans already in place to make the aerodrome an even better airport.

Today, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport serves a daily average of 19,000 Passengers from Africa, Europe and Asia. The airport is named after the first Kenyan prime minister and president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and is located in Embakasi, 15 kilometers to the south-east of the Nairobi Business District.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)

JKIA has direct flight connections to Europe, the Middle East, Far East and the African Continent.

Facilities

JKIA terminal has three sections catering for both arrivals and departures. Sections one and two are used for international flights and section three is used for domestic flights. Check-in occurs through section one and two depending on destination and all the check-in counters operate on a CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) system.

There are eight gates in the departures area and the aircraft are boarded via boarding bridges. International arrivals disembark via the same gates into the A concourse which leads to the immigration counters on the first floor before they are directed to the baggage hall on the ground floor. Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) and signage are in place to assist the passenger finding their way around the airport.