Kenya Airways has about 600 engineers despite the recent mass resignations that have left the technical department struggling, CEO Mbuvi Ngunze has said.
Speaking after presiding over the airline's annual general meeting, Mbuvi said the airline is facing high staff attrition following massive poaching by Middle East airlines.
"It is a matter of concern and the board is aware of it, and we are looking at initiatives to retain people," he said.
Noting that the airline is a prime source of experts due to the extensive training of its staff, Mbuvi said KQ has enough engineers and safety standards are being adhered to.
This comes in the wake of rising incidents of technical hitches that have caused several delays and flight cancellations.
The company, which plans to retrench about 600 staff in a restructuring plan that entails redeployment said it has been forced to go back to the drawing board.
About 100 employees have so far been sent home, Mbuvi said.
"We are replanning because the situation is very fluid and dynamic," he said.
In August, the Kenya Airline Pilots Association wrote a letter to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to highlight the staff exodus noting it has hurt the operations of the technical department.
KQ had 3,870 employees by end of the last financial year on March 31.
The airline's chairman Dennis Awori asked employees and other stakeholders to support the airline during this critical time.
"The company is in trouble, is on a turnaround and still has a long way to go," he told shareholders.