We are back in business after weekend hitches - KQ
Kenya Airways CEO Mbuvi Ngunze listens to an address by one of the participants of an AGM at KQ Pride Centre on September 29, 2016. It said in a statement that operational snags that caused the weekend delays had been addressed. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A spot check indicated that a flight from Dar es Salaam was on Monday delayed for nearly two hours.
- The weekend disruptions came barely a fortnight after a bird strike and a tyre burst crippled operations.
The loss-making national carrier Kenya Airways on Monday said its flight schedule had normalised following a chaotic weekend of long delays and a cancellation.
It said in a statement that operational snags that caused the weekend delays had been addressed.
“We would like to confirm that only one flight was cancelled yesterday (Sunday),” said the airline’s statement.
“However, we had delays on the Mombasa operations for KQ 608/9 and the afternoon Jambojet flights.
“Jambojet was experiencing non-availability of two aircraft, which led to significant delays.
“On the long-haul network, one of our B787 Dreamliners last week experienced a technical problem in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was the first time this particular event had occurred on the worldwide 787 fleet and we had to seek the assistance of Boeing to solve it.”
A spot check, however, indicated that a flight from Dar es Salaam was on Monday delayed for nearly two hours.
The weekend disruptions came barely a fortnight after a bird strike and a tyre burst crippled operations.
Passengers booked on flights mainly to Mombasa and Ukunda, including those of its budget subsidiary Jambojet, were delayed for several hours.
The airline attributed the hitch to an engine problem that took longer than expected to fix.
This, coupled with the puncture on the September 18 flight from Entebbe, resulted in a knock-on effect that delayed multiple flights.
It came under regulatory scrutiny following the tyre burst incident.
Kenya Airways reported a net loss of Sh26.2 billion in the year ended March 2016.
A number of pilots and engineers have left the carrier for better-paying jobs as the airline struggles to dig itself out of a financial abyss.
Mbuvi Ngunze, the Kenya Airways chief executive, blamed the employees’ shrinkage to poaching of skilled staff by Middle East airlines, which are offering lucrative perks and salaries to the highly trained specialists.
He said at the airline’s annual general meeting last week that the number of pilots now stands at 460 and while the number of engineers is 600.
