Kenya Airways (KQ) has dispelled reports that cabin crew shortage has contributed to disruptions of flights.
Coming on the back of reports about flight disruptions, KQ said that it has enough staff members contrary to the reports stating that its operations were affected by the move to let go a big chunk of its crew in 2020.
In the statement, the national carrier asserted that it had added more than 314 cabin crew and that 91% of those whose contracts had not been renewed during the COVID pandemic had been recalled.
Currently, according to the statement, Kenya Airways has 853 Cabin Crew compared to 936 pre-COVID.
As such KQ reiterated that the recent flight delays were not as a result of lack of enough personnel but due to logistical challenges.
In response to the internal message used by the media to report about the cabin crew shortage story, Kenya Airways noted that it was a normal message of an employer reorganizing its staff members due to unavailability of some members.
As such, the company defended itself noting that such a message was not enough to conclude that the company facing a shortage of staff members.
“Like any other organization, sometimes employees are unable to turn up for work for varied reason, sickness, family emergency, etc,” the statement read in part.
“In this scenario the crew scheduling team will reach out to those not rostered through phone calls or WhatsApp messages on their availability.”
Also Read: Kenya Airways Cancels Flights; Here’s Why
Further in the statement, KQ assured that it was committed to resolving the challenges facing its operations.
KQ woes deepen
In a statement, on Friday, December 8, KQ notified its customers of possible disruptions in the festive season.
The airline attributed disruptions to delays in accessing spare parts which in turn left its aircraft grounded for long periods.
Also Read: Kenya Airways Announces Possible Festive Season Disruptions
However, the statement sparked reactions from some quarters with critics accusing top leadership in the company of mismanagement.
Later on, Wednesday, December 12, a former Minister of State in Ghana shared his traumatizing experience while flying the airline from Cape Town to Nairobi.
In the statement, the ex-Minister and a scholar said that they were forced to abandon their booked flight after an aircraft developed technical hitches while airborne.
