(This post is in memory of all the 114 passengers who perished in the crash)
It’s exactly one year since KQ flight 507 went down in Duala – Cameroon. Up to now, no official report has been released on the real cause of the crash. Kenya Airways is now seeking the help of the Kenya government and the US Administration, manufacturers of the Boeing, to compel the Cameroonian authorities to release the one year old report.
The Boeing 737-800 series was only 6 months old and so the issue of a technical hitch could not arise. Two weeks ago, another 737-800 series belonging to KQ overshot the runway at the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, and once again the incident was blamed on bad weather. On Friday last week, a Kenya Airways flight from Kisumu to Nairobi aborted after what the airline said was a small technical hitch (what hitch?)
Although KQ CEO, Titus Naikuni, came out defending his company’s record and said that such hitches are expected taking into account the volume of flights KQ covers, it leaves a lot to beg. The frequency of the recent incidences does not look normal at all. Could this be a case of mismanagement? It’s clearly understood that workers at this flight company are quite overworked and may be under performing not due to laziness, but fatigue.
What KQ needs is a complete overhaul and not a re-branding, hiking fares or cancellation of partnerships. The whole management team needs to be replaced with a new one with more stringent performance contracts. Without this the inefficient rot in there will never be dealt with and more disappointing things will happen. We cannot afford to lose more lives just because we want to serve vested interests. Our African Pride is bigger than that.
The company is faced with very tough industry times (increased fuel prices, stringent terrorism laws and stiff competition from international Airlines) and cannot afford to goof around. I think making the KQ private owned or fully owned by the public will make it more efficient and accountable to its customers. Things like 48 hours delays of flights will be a thing of the past.
