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Kenyan Airline Pilots Association Opposes Staff Layoffs at KQ

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5 years ago

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Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa) wants ongoing staff layoffs, which include sacking of pilots by Kenya Airways (KQ) stopped, terming the exercise illegal.

The carrier has so far sent home 22 pilots and a few more will be heading for the doors soon in a rationalisation plan aimed at limiting losses stemming from Covid-19 and associated movement restrictions.

But the union says inasmuch as the airline wants to send home pilots to stay afloat, the exercise is in breach of mutual agreements signed in January.

“Kalpa notes that you have gone ahead to terminate employment of 22 pilots without any prior reference nor consultation.

“Take note that your action to terminate the contracts of these pilots is in breach of a memorandum of agreement that was enforced by both parties on January 24, 2020,” said Kalpa secretary-general Murithi Nyagah in a letter to Kenya Airways chief Executive Allan Kilavuka on Monday.

DIRECT ENTRY CAPTAINS

KQ in January said it would hire 30 direct entry captains both local and foreign to reduce an acute shortage of pilots to handle its large fleet of Embraer 190 aircraft.

This is after Kalpa rejected the hiring of at least 20 foreign pilots for Kenya Airways’ Boeing 737 planes.

An agreement signed between KQ and Kalpa was expected to help the airline lower its shortage of 53 pilots for its current fleet of aircraft. The shortage has in the past affected the airline’s revenue and expansion plans.