Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: sema on November 07, 2022, 07:38:23 PM
-
This captain not only articulates all the problems, he also provides the solutions. He said he's been talking to Ruto because ruto was the only politician that would listen to them and was actually punished for speaking to ruto. Looks like lose mouthed murkomen doesn't understand the issues as well as ruto.
KQ cannot run without pilots. They said they'll hire more from where? this guy says already many have left for the middle eastern airlines. Based on what he says, I personallly would avoid flying KQ just out of safety concerns (not enough engineers, mechanics, spare parts, etc) a disaster. Board needs to be disbanded and michael joseph and kilavuka fired immediately.
KQ is a victim of state capture (the captain was afraid to say this but you can figure it out) and this state capture began with project mawingu and continued with jambo jet which is owned by the kenyatta's.
-
nothing tangible , lots of wishful thinking and political undertones...
-
As copied Long post alert, on KQ.
I agree with you sir, on some issues. For some reason, though, you find pilots nauseating, from your remarks about them.
If as you suggest, KQ sacks ALL the striking pilots, that all you need to do is put an advert in the Newspapers and, VOILA, hundreds of applicants will appear out of the blue, you are awfully mistaken.
Having worked as a pilot in the aviation sector, for 46 years, I think I know something about that profession, that you may not be aware of.
If there are any qualified and type-rated pilots at Wilson Airport, the only other source of pilots in Kenya, they would all be working for KQ by now. The door for them to join KQ was always open. More so when the KQ Chairman tried to employ 20 mzungus at KQ, from his country, South Africa, who had left SAA.
KALPA rejected his move and asked KQ to recruit pilots from Wilson Airport instead. That’s why there’s bad blood between KALPA and the KQ Chairman.
Forget whatever KQ’s Chairmen was saying 2 years ago about sacking 200 pilots. When most of them volunteered to retire last year, KQ stopped them from leaving. They also did the same with key aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians. Without these people in sufficient numbers, KQ would not get the Air Operators Certificate. Hence, it would not be allowed to operate.
There is currently a worldwide shortage of pilots since the end of Covid-19. Many Airlines in the US, Europe and even the Middle East, have grounded hundreds of their aircraft for lack of pilots.
The Middle Eastern airlines, which have poached more than 300 pilots and engineers from KQ, are looking to recruit more of those professionals from our carrier.
Qatar Airways, which has almost 80 ex-KQ pilots, is suffering miserably. It is the nominated carrier for the World Cup football taking place in that country. But being short of pilots, most of their aircraft remain grounded and they are having to overwork the pilots who remain. That’s why they want more pilots from KQ.
Having worked at KQ for 36 years, I am very familiar with the tactics used by the management to frustrate pilots. I was a victim multiple times, but I survived, thanks to KALPA. KQ cannot afford to lose any pilots now. They don’t even have enough for it’s current fleet.
Now, with Qatar Airways and the Emirates, knocking on it’s doors looking for pilots, KQ, I believe, is using one tactic it would use, to stop them from leaving. Withholding their Provident Fund contributions.
If the PF was released to those who want to leave, today, KQ would probably lose almost 10-20% of it’s work force overnight. Pilots, engineers and technicians, are in very high demand internationally. RwandAir and even the local Astral Aviation cargo airline, are all going after KQ Pilots.
And it is not only Pilots and Egineers working in Qatar. Many ex-KQ check-is staff and other ground passenger handling staff, are employed there too. Qatar Aiways is saving millions of dollars employing these highly trained ex-KQ staff. They don’t have to train them again, and it also saves them lots of time.
It takes years to train and keep these highly qualified professionals. It also costs millions. They have to be constantly retrained and tested throughout their working lives. They are not very easy to come by or replace.
Thanks to KQ’s Chairman, KQ’s human resource loss, is Qatar’s gain. In all fields, I must add.
If you ever find yourself in Doha, you will get away with speaking Swahili from security gate to checking-in for your flight. Just like at JKIA. The place is teeming with Kenyan employees.
All KQ workers contribute 5% of their basic salary to the ProvIdent Fund. KQ contributes 10%. When one retires, this is the only money one takes home. That’s why it is such a sensitive issue.
One of the major disputes between KALPA and KQ in the ongoing strike, is the Provident Fund, among other issues.
It is very unfortunate for pilot haters in our midst, but the raw and simple truth, is that no airline can function without pilots. NONE whatsoever.
Sacking the 400 pilots at KQ, means that all the other KQ workers, almost 3000+, will be made redundant. That includes the CEO as well. The KQ Board of Directors led by MJ, will no longer be necessary. Employing expatriate pilots, if they can be found, will cost KQ 3 or 4 times more than it costs to employ Kenyans.
The other unpalatable truth for pilot haters is that, most of the 400 sacked pilots will be snapped up by other airlines within weeks. They will not remain unemployed for long.
It will take almost 30 years to rebuild KQ from scratch, to what it is now. Sacking doesn’t make sense. But you never know. Dialogue is the only way out. Strong arm tactics will not work.
From my experience, pilots hardly ever misuse their unique status to extort money from the airline.
On the contrary, it is the Management, in league with senior politicians and their foreign counterparts, who have looted KQ and brought it to it’s knees. These are the people the Government should go for, not the pilots.
The DCI investigated KQ in 2019. No report was publicly released. It is, however, safe to say that all the marauding vultures who stole from KQ are well known. Catch them and 80% of KQ’s woes will disappear.
But before signing off, let me draw your attention to a post above, that exposes the current Chairman as a thieving lout. If anyone else at KQ had done that, he would have been dismissed summarily. He should not be allowed to sit on any board in Kenya. Once a thief, always a thief. Letting him run KQ is like leaving a hyaena to watch over your goats.
But then again, isn’t it the “Modus Operandi” in the whole country? We have thieves everywhere looking after our treasured assets. From losing 2 billion a day through theft, it won’t be long before that amount doubles to 4 billion a day. Kenyans love “ their thieves”. The Chairman is in good company, here in our great country, Kenya.
-
Yes I passed Qatar away it 100 percent kenyan :)
-
nothing tangible , lots of wishful thinking and political undertones...
It's a long interview and if you think it was lots of wishful thinking then you clearly didn't listen to most of the interview. The captain raises all the issues and outlines the solutions. He says many KQ engineers were snapped up by Oman Air. They are going to the middle east. During covid their salaries were slashed by 80%! 80%!
If I were a young KQ pilot, it's time to look out for my own financial future and leave for one of the middle eastern airlines (better pay, free rent, free schools all provided by these middle eastern airlines)
-
From KK manifesto. It is in line with what pilots are saying. Michael Joseph magic touch is past him now. Let have someone to do what he did by turning Safaricom into a mwananchi matatu in telco with KQ. The management has grown too comfortable with bailouts.
Africa has 15 per cent of the world’s population but only 2 per cent of air passenger traffic. Before the Covid 19 shock, Africa’s aviation market was projected to double in 20 years. Before it ran into difficulties a few years ago, Kenya Airways had demonstrated that Kenya could become a major African, and even global aviation hub. Kenya Airways financial challenges are a reflection of internal strategic and managerial mistakes rather than the market prospects. Kenya Kwanza is persuaded that a national airline is a strategic asset that should not be allowed to fail. At the same time, it is not financially prudent to maintain Kenya Airways on life-support indefinitely.
Kenya Kwanza Commitment
Kenya Kwanza commits to develop a turn-around strategy for Kenya Airways within six months. A critical plank of this strategy will be a financing plan that does not depend on operational support from the Exchequer beyond December 2023.
-
i listened to the guy from start to end. This guy is on a campaign mission to be nominated to the board.
Yes some Ex KQ engineers went to middle east so did pilots but that was before Covid era, My point KQ issues are mainly to do with Leases (he is very afraid to touch on that issue) . Suppliers and operational costs.
All the other non issues are more of political. From welfare to making KQ a center of training of pilots and doing engine overhauls .
I liked how he said leasing one KQ dreamliner is 1million USD in KQ but same is 435K USD in ET per month . Deal with that and you start dealing with issues at KQ.
nothing tangible , lots of wishful thinking and political undertones...
It's a long interview and if you think it was lots of wishful thinking then you clearly didn't listen to most of the interview. The captain raises all the issues and outlines the solutions. He says many KQ engineers were snapped up by Oman Air. They are going to the middle east. During covid their salaries were slashed by 80%! 80%!
If I were a young KQ pilot, it's time to look out for my own financial future and leave for one of the middle eastern airlines (better pay, free rent, free schools all provided by these middle eastern airlines)