Nairobi - A strike prompted by a labour dispute grounded flights at Kenya's main international airport in Nairobi early on Wednesday, with flag carrier Kenya Airways saying flights were disrupted.
Hundreds of passengers were waiting outside the domestic terminal and riot police dispersed picketing ground staff, a Reuters witness said, adding that three planes took off at about 8:30 a.m. despite the strike.
"Customers on flights after 11 a.m. are advised not to come to the airport until further communication is shared," Kenya Airways said in a statement via social network Twitter.
The strike at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport follows a labour dispute between the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU)and the airline.
Union leader Moss Ndiema was arrested shortly after making a speech at the airport, media said. A court injunction had earlier ordered the suspension of the planned industrial action.
Kenya Airways released the following statement this morning:
Nairobi, March 6, 2019 – Kenya Airways wishes to share the following update to all customers and the general public:
All Kenya Airways flights scheduled for arrival landed safely this morning.
There were two flights that were diverted but have since landed;
KQ349 from Khartoum had been diverted to Kilimanjaro. This flight arrived in Nairobi at 05:17hrs.
KQ505 from Accra that had been diverted to Mombasa, arrived at JKIA at 05:59hrs.
Preparations are underway for the following international flights to depart:
KQ210 to Mumbai estimated time of departure (ETD), 10:30hrs.
KQ116 to Amsterdam estimated time of departure (ETD), 10:45hrs.
KQ 100 to London estimated time of departure (ETD), 11:06hrs.
We shall advise on domestic flights schedule in the next update. We remind all our guests to check on our official social media platforms for
regular updates on their flights.