NAIROBI – Workers at Kenya’s main airport ended a strike on Tuesday that had caused severe disruptions to flights and air traffic control operations since the previous day, the union and airport said.

Passengers had reported major delays at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), one of Africa’s busiest hubs, after the strike began on Monday.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) agreed to return to work following mediation by the government and other officials, the Kenya Airports Authority said in a statement on X, without giving details of the agreement.

KAWU confirmed on X that the strike had been called off.

It held the strike over unresolved grievances, including an employment agreement that is stalled in negotiations, threatening a “total shutdown of Kenyan airspace.”

The Kenya Airline Pilots Association earlier warned the strike could undermine safety as it would disrupt crew scheduling, “increasing fatigue risk.”

In 2024, workers at JKIA went on strike to protest the government’s plan to award a tender to India’s Adani Group to expand the airport, warning that it would cost local jobs and deprive taxpayers of future airport profits.

Kenya later cancelled its partnership with Adani, citing “corruption” after its chairman, Gautam Adani, was indicted in the United States. 

-Nampa/AFP