Key facts
- Thousands of passengers were affected by flight delays and cancellations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
- The strike action by airport workers entered its second day.
- The Kenya Aviation Workers' Union is striking over unresolved grievances, including a stalled collective bargaining agreement.
- RwandAir cancelled two flights due to reported air traffic control challenges.
- Negotiations between the union and government officials have so far been unsuccessful.
Flight disruptions at Kenya's primary international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, impacted thousands of travelers as airport workers' go-slow strike persisted into its second day. The Kenya Aviation Workers' Union (KAWU) cited a range of issues as the cause of the industrial action, including the failure to finalize a collective bargaining agreement with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and a lack of cooperation from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Airways subsidiary Jambojet.
KAA had previously acknowledged flight delays without specifying reasons. On Sunday, Rwanda's national carrier, RwandAir, announced the cancellation of two flights, attributing the disruptions to air traffic control challenges at the Nairobi airport. Passengers described extended waits and flight cancellations, with one traveler recounting a 12-hour ordeal and a cancelled flight, leading to a wait for the next available service the following night.
Union officials confirmed that negotiations with government representatives on Sunday did not yield a resolution. Secretary General Moss Ndiema indicated that strike action would continue while further engagements were scheduled for the next morning.