Hundreds of travellers were left stranded at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as a nationwide aviation workers’ strike entered its second day, leaving some passengers waiting for hours or spending the night near check-in areas.
JKIA, Kenya’s main airport, is a major regional transport hub.
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On Sunday, the airports authority and national carrier Kenya Airways warned that departing flights could face delays.
Unions and airport managers were expected to resume talks on Monday after discussions ended without an agreement a day earlier.
Aviation workers began a nationwide go-slow strike to press for improved working conditions and the implementation of a deal agreed previously.
Passengers trying to travel were stuck at JKIA, with some waiting overnight for information about their flights and possible departures.
In its latest update, Kenya Airways said “the industrial action by air traffic control workers” had caused delays of more than six hours. The resulting backlog had also forced the airline to cancel some flights.
The carrier apologised for the disruption and said passengers wishing to change or reschedule their journeys could do so without paying a penalty.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed numerous flights delayed, cancelled or diverted.
RwandAir said on Monday that it had cancelled two flights because of ongoing “operational constraints affecting air traffic control services” at the airport. The airline had also cancelled flights on Sunday.
Mendel Goldman, who was travelling to a wedding in Florida, told the Reuters news agency that his flight had been cancelled after being delayed several times.
He said he had already spent 12 hours waiting.
“The earliest flight they can get us is only tomorrow night, so we’ve got to wait.
“We’re going to try and make most of it, but in the meantime, I’ve been here for 12 hours now, waiting in the airport,” he said.
William Obino, a 22-year-old traveller, told the AFP news agency: “Nothing is happening, updates are reaching us late. It’s ruining our itinerary.”
The dispute follows a two-day industrial action in February over collective bargaining and the use of volunteers at the airport.
Union officials said they had gone on strike because their concerns had not been resolved.
Nairobi’s main airport is among the region’s busiest hubs, providing a key link between Africa and destinations around the world. Kenyan authorities said it handled about nine million passengers last year.
However, the airport has faced several strikes in recent years as workers campaign for better conditions.
