PH
National carrier Kenya Airways has rejected demands by Kenya Airline Pilot Association (Kalpa) to fire top managers.
The airline Thursday warned the announced strike could force it to stop selling tickets, making further losses.
Kalpa, an association made up of about 450 pilots, has threatened to down its tools on October 18 if the airline’s chief executive Mbuvi Ngunze and chairman Ambassador Dennis Awori don’t resign.
“The threatened Industrial Action called for by Kalpa is unjustified and uncalled for. It is also has no basis and is outside the scope of Kalpa’s collective bargaining agreement,” the airline said in a statement.
“The threatened action is already costing Kenya Airways significant losses as passengers have begun to make cancellations immediately the action was published.
“If Kalpa does not forthwith retract its statement, Kenya Airways will have to immediately stop selling tickets on its network, given the costs associated with selling tickets and not carrying these passengers.”
SH5 BILLION LOSS
Kenya Airways also announced that its net loss for the six months to September stands at Sh5 billion, a 58.3 per cent improvement from the Sh12 billion that the airline reported in a similar period last year.
KQ, as the airline is known by its international code, says its operating profit during the half-year improved by Sh2 billion boosted by an increase of 89,000 in passenger numbers to 2.23 million.
The airline has released advance extracts of its financial results (before their official release on October 27) in an attempt to counter the strike threat issued by its pilots.
