In Nairobi, a nationwide go‑slow strike by aviation workers has turned Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) into an impromptu waiting room for passengers.
Hundreds of travellers were stranded while flights were delayed or cancelled on Friday, and reports show some were forced to spend many hours or a whole night in check‑in areas, waiting for news.
Kenya Airways, the flag carrier, said the strike by air‑traffic controllers forced it to cancel several departures and to postpone others by more than six hours. The airline offered free rebooking options for affected passengers.
RwandAir also cancelled two flights that had been scheduled for Sunday, citing “operational constraints affecting air‑traffic control services.”
The dispute follows earlier talks in February that failed to resolve issues related to collective bargaining and the use of volunteers at the airport. Union officials say the strike continues until promised improvements—better wages and safer working conditions—are fulfilled.
JKIA is a busy regional hub, logging about nine million passengers last year. Repeated disruptions underscore systemic problems that undermine Kenya’s connectivity to other African capitals and the rest of the world.
One traveller said he had waited 12 hours for a flight that was finally scheduled for the next day, while another lamented that continuous updates were not arriving fast enough, ruining his itinerary. These voices highlight the ripple effects of labour unrest on global travel.
The situation underscores the need for resilient transport infrastructure and fair labour practices to keep air travel flowing, especially as the region’s reliance on efficient connectivity grows amid climate‑change challenges.
