National carrier Kenya Airways is facing flight cancellations and flight delays because of a shortage of cabin crew. This has been revealed by a report that appeared in a local daily.

The report, which appeared in the Daily Nation, quoted confidential correspondence between KQ and its cabin crew.

According to the report, seventeen flights have been delayed over the past two days. Among the delayed flights reported by the paper were KQ2580 which was delayed by six hours 20 minutes, KQ610 was delayed by two hours 20 minutes, and KQ612 which was delayed by one hour and 15 minutes.

“(Good)Morning, should you be in a position to assist? Below are uncrewed today, December 3, 2023; KQ708-1FP, KQ002-1FA,” the Daily Nation quoted KQ as saying in an internal memo.

The daily further reported that a spot check on December 13, showed that Kenya Airways flights KQ102- FA, KQ792-FA, KQ250-FP, KQ310- FP, KQ2-FA and KQ 624-FA did not have enough crew as per the law to fly.

“For December 14, flights KQ 706- FP, KQ 482-FP, KQ256-FP, KQ762- 4FA, and KQ704-FP did not have enough crew to fly as the law prescribes,” the daily reported.

Chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka had earlier this week hinted on the cabin crew shortage.

“In the wake of the flight disruptions, we are experiencing a ripple effect across our network, which in turn is impacting crew resources. In response, we are working with our pilots and cabin crew to support our swift recovery plans. Their dedication and commitment to Kenya Airways guests are crucial as we strive to return to our normal, fully covered network as soon as possible,” he was quoted by the paper.

The nee disruptions come barely a week after KQ announced possible disruptions due to a shortage of spare parts. It however says that this has since been resolved.

“The challenges of delayed spare parts delivery have eased because many of the necessary components have been delivered… We have now put all our efforts into addressing the remaining spare parts delivery delays that continue to impact other aircraft operations. We are working closely with our partners and suppliers to expedite delivery and minimise further disruptions.”