KQ Lost Ksh 118 Million to Flight Delays and Cancellations

The past seven months have not been a smooth run for Kenya Airways as the airlines spent 118 million shillings to cater for the accommodation of passengers after flight delays and cancellations.

The trends have been so frequent that in 2019 alone, KQ has canceled more than 182 flights and more than 52 just in the month of August.

Data from FlightStats (a global flight ranking service) showed that out of the 35,035 successful flights this year, only 22,426 of the flights have been on time which is only 60 percent.

2814 flights have been delayed for more than an hour, with 9600 flights canceled for up to an hour in 2019. These statistics have affected the airlines ranking, leaving it to the trail at position seven out of 13 airlines in the Middle East and Africa.

Since the beginning of 2019, KQ has gone above its budget by 250 percent to cover for costs incurred after housing passengers and paying for their hotel rooms and meals.

From January to July, KQ provided housing services to more than 19,345 passengers who were affected by flight delays and cancellations an average of 2764 per month.

One thing that spurred this issue was when a member of the First Family was delayed for a trip to France, prompting the Government to demand answers from KQ’s management.

KQ’s On-Time Performance (OTP) analysis attributed the frequent flight cancellation to many staff constraints, technical issues, and air traffic congestion in respective destinations.

The crew members and pilots have contributed to most cancellations and delays by showing up late for work or not showing up at all.

According to the Collective Bargaining Act (CBA), pilots are allowed to stay away from work for at least 48 hours without providing explanations or medical evidence but this has been subject to misuse. The pilots have been overstaying and giving flimsy excuses.

The OTP average of 15 minutes stood at 77 percent in the last seven months, dropping from 82 percent in the same period in 2018.

An internal memo has also attributed the On-time performance drop to a cold war between the management and the staff members.

In a briefing to address the issues, the Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said that the stakeholders are having serious discussions and plan to ensure the best for airlines are undergoing.