A regional competition watchdog has opened a probe into flight delays at Kenya Airways, exposing the national carrier to fines for delaying connections in Nairobi and Entebbe, Uganda.
The Comesa Competition Commission has issued notice of the investigations and has asked other aggrieved travellers to come forward.
The notice follows complaints raised against KQ by passengers in Uganda and Nairobi who cited delays of over six hours and denial of food and accommodation.
The investigation will seek to establish if KQ was unfair to the travellers, a breach that attracts a fine, or compensation to the aggrieved passengers.
“Given the foregoing, the Commission thereby invites interested stakeholders, including other affected customers, to make representations by February 28, 2025,” said the watchdog in a notice made public on January 24.
The investigations do not imply wrongdoing on the part of KQ and do not imply that the delays amounted to unfair business practice, said the regional body tasked with investigating competition concerns within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) trade bloc.
The watchdog is also investigating Zambia Airways for flight delays and recently concluded a similar probe on Malawi Airways, where the airline was ordered to compensate the aggrieved passengers.
Two years ago, it opened investigations into abuse of consumer rights by undisclosed regional carriers.
This followed a surge in complaints by passengers using various carriers within the region.
The issues that have irked consumers, according to the commission, include refusal to compensate passengers for lost or damaged luggage, long delays in delivery of missing luggage, failure to refund cancelled tickets, and unexplained flight delays and cancellations.
On KQ, the competition watchdog received reports that the carrier failed to offer redress and instead offered conditioned vouchers for the flight delays.
“The commission became aware, through complaints raised to Kenya Airways by four passengers, that on August 18, 2024, while travelling on KQ flight 419 from Entebbe to Nairobi on their way to Livingstone, they experienced an unexpected delay of their flight at Entebbe International Airport for over six hours, causing a significant disruption to their connecting flights,” the watchdog said.
The passengers reported missing their connections from Nairobi to Lusaka and from Lusaka to Livingstone on Zambia Airways flight ZN419, both scheduled on the same day.
The passengers claimed to have spent over seven hours waiting for their rebooked connecting flight after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.
“It further alleged that Kenya Airways did not make any effort to reroute the passengers to their destination, instead the passengers, who were en route and mid-way into their journey had to arrange for themselves through their agent to obtain a rerouting to their destination,” said the commission.
“Further, the complainants reported that Kenya Airways did not provide accommodation and meals to the passengers on landing in Lusaka and their original onward connecting flight has already departed.”
Kenya Airways, whose strategy hinges on connecting African travellers to the world and vice-versa through its Nairobi hub, operates a fleet of Boeing and Embraer planes.
It flies in about 32 destinations in Africa, where it generated 47 percent of its Sh103.1 billion revenues in 2023.
The watchdog reported another complaint against Kenya Airways after a passenger claimed that the national carrier delayed a flight to Entebbe from Nairobi for over six hours without ample notice while failing to provide accommodation and meals.
The probe on the national carrier emerges as the airline's turnaround efforts began to bear fruit after posting its first half-year profit in 11 years for the six months to June last year.
It posted a profit of Sh384 million in the period on increased sales and lower debt expenses after the State took over part of its foreign loans.
It forecasts a full-year profit for the 2024 financial year.
