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Kenya Airways (KQ) has been ranked as the carrier with the highest number of flights delays and cancellations among top airlines in Africa and the Middle East. This ranking is according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
According to the data, in the year ended December 2024, KQ canceled 2,263 flights. Leading airline in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines canceled 1,622 flights.
What is ironic is that although the national carrier canceled more flights than the Ethiopian it had far less flights than the Ethiopian carrier. In the period under review, Ethiopian had 151,543 flights while KQ had 46,578 flights.
When paid against larger carriers from the Middle East such as Emirate, the numbers for KQ only got worse. For instance, in the year under review, Emirates canceled 836 flights.
These cancellations and delays have now been noted by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission. According to the Commission, Kenya Airways has been the airline with the highest number of complaints by passengers over flight delays and cancellations.
“Kenya Airways recorded the highest number of complaints followed by Ethiopian, Air Mauritius, and RwandAir,” the Commission said in its report.
“Alarmingly, over 71 percent of affected passengers received no redress for cancellations or delays, and nearly 28 percent of those with baggage issues lacked access to claim information.”
The Commission had earlier this year opened a probe over what complaints against KQ with some complaints stating that the national carrier had flight delays lasting as long as six hours, and provided no food or accommodation to affected passengers.
“The Commission’s preliminary assessment concluded that the failure by Kenya Airways to reconnect passengers, provide necessary support, and offer meaningful compensation instead of unfavourable vouchers may amount to unconscionable conduct,” the Commission stated.
“Following a conclusion of the investigation, Kenya Airways was served with a Statement of Concern to which it has yet to conclude its responses.”
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