After two days of industrial action affecting air traffic services at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and other Kenyan airports, the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) and government signed a return-to-work agreement paving the way for employees to resume duty and restore normal operations.
But, while the immediate crisis has ended, the disruption has revived a bigger concern for Kenya’s aviation and tourism industries: how many times can the country afford to repeat the cycle of strike, disruption, recovery and renewed uncertainty?
“Any disruption at JKIA is damaging to the tourism industry and recurring disruptions are particularly concerning,” says Håvar Bauck, Founder of Hotel Online.
“For every passenger who is stranded or delayed, there is a significant dent in their overall experience of Kenya.
“Kenya may offer an extraordinary experience but frustration and uncertainty at the airport can easily overshadow many of the positives.”
Associations voice concerns
The Kenya Association of Air Operators (KAAO), African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and Kenya Tourism Federation have warned that repeated disruption to safety-critical aviation services threatens not only passengers and airlines but also tourism, trade, cargo and Kenya’s position as a regional aviation hub. They argue that the go slow resulted in delays, cancellations, diversions, rerouting and prolonged holding at Kenyan airports.
They have also raised questions about contingency planning. KAAO says aviation operators were not adequately briefed on an activated contingency plan and that delays in issuing relevant notices reduced the time available for airlines to adjust flight plans, fuel requirements, crew rosters and passenger arrangements.
“Safety cannot be improvised,” says Liz Aluvanze, CEO of KAAO. “Operators, crews and passengers should not carry the burden of a foreseeable disruption when timely notices, tested contingency measures and coordinated airport response should have been in place.”
For AFRAA, the disruption is also a warning about Kenya’s role in the wider African aviation network. “Kenya’s role as a continental aviation hub means that disruptions here are felt well beyond its borders, affecting connectivity, trade and travellers across Africa’s aviation network,” said AFRAA Secretary General Abdérahmane Berthé.
The financial consequences are already significant. KAAO’s preliminary assessment of previous industry action from February 16-17 saw 150 flight cancellations and 382 delays involving 16 operators with approximately US$5.1 million in direct losses. That figure does not include diversions, crew disruption, network recovery costs or the wider impact on tourism and trade.
A wake-up call
For Mohammed Hersi, Group Director of Operations at Pollmans12345 Tours & Safaris, the latest settlement provides relief but not reassurance. He says the latest disruption should be a wake-up call for policymakers rather than another crisis to be managed temporarily.
“We need to work round the clock to clear the mess created in the past 72 hours,” he says, warning that Kenya’s tourism sector cannot continue absorbing the consequences of repeated aviation disruptions.
Kenya Airways impact
For Kenya Airways, repeated disruption in Nairobi is particularly damaging. Unlike global airlines with multiple hubs and large fleets, Kenya Airways relies heavily on JKIA as the centre of its hub-and-spoke network. When Nairobi operations slow, aircraft, crews and passengers can become trapped across the network with delays cascading into subsequent flights.
The airline can also incur costs from diversions, stranded aircraft, additional crew accommodation and disrupted schedules. More importantly, repeated failures at the Nairobi hub risk weakening confidence in Kenya Airways as a dependable regional connector.
One of the solutions previously advanced by a former Kenya Airways Chief Executive was for Kenya Airways to be given a greater role in running the airports. The proposal is now being raised again as an option that could help mitigate some of the losses caused by operational disruptions and improve coordination between the national carrier and airport management.
