Airport Workers' Strike Disrupts Kenya's Main Hub for Second Day, Stranding Passengers
Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi on Monday as a nationwide aviation workers' strike disrupted flight operations for a second consecutive day, forcing airlines to delay and cancel departures.
Kenya Airways, the country's national carrier, said the industrial action by air traffic control workers had caused delays of more than six hours and that the resulting backlog had led to the cancellation of a number of flights. The airline apologised and said passengers could rebook or change their tickets without penalty.
The airport authority and Kenya Airways had warned on Sunday that departing flights could be affected. A fresh round of talks between unions and airport management was scheduled for Monday, but discussions broke up a day earlier without agreement.
The strike is being led by aviation sector workers who are demanding improved working conditions and the implementation of an earlier agreement. Union officials said they had called the industrial action because concerns over collective bargaining and staffing, including the use of volunteers at the airport, remained unresolved. Those issues had already triggered a two-day dispute in February.
Travellers described a scene of growing frustration at JKIA, with many spending the night in and around check-in areas waiting for updates. William Obino, a 22-year-old passenger, told the AFP news agency: "Nothing is happening, updates are reaching us late. It's ruining our itinerary."
Mendel Goldman, who was trying to get to a wedding in Florida, told Reuters that his flight had been cancelled after several delays. "The earliest flight they can get us is only tomorrow night, so we've got to wait. We're going to try and make most of it, but in the meantime, I've been here for 12 hours now, waiting in the airport," he said.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed a large number of delayed, cancelled and diverted flights on Monday. RwandAir said it had cancelled two flights because of "operational constraints affecting air traffic control services" at the airport, following similar cancellations on Sunday.
JKIA is one of the busiest aviation hubs on the continent, serving as a key gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. According to Kenyan authorities, the airport handled about nine million passengers last year. The disruption has raised concerns about the broader impact on regional connectivity, tourism and trade, as well as Kenya's standing as an aviation hub in East Africa.
The latest strike is also a reminder of long-running labour tensions at the airport, which has seen several workers' actions in recent years as employees push for better pay and conditions.