Loss-making Kenya Airways last month lost 20 of its most experienced aeronautical engineers to Qatar Airways.
The engineers were poached by the Qataris after one of them repaired a malfunctioning aircraft in a record two hours when it would have taken the internal engineer five hours plus travel time, sources told the Star.
The Qatar Airways managers were reportedly impressed by the qualifications of KQ engineers after one loaned to the Arab country’s airline repaired an aircraft faster than his Qatari peers after it developed a mechanical problem at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The Qataris discovered that KQ engineers each have certificates in three engineering fields as opposed to only one held by their own engineers.
The Qatar Airways plane fixed at JKIA was later flown home for further review where it was discovered that the KQ engineer had serviced it well. It remained in operation for seven months problem-free.
Impressed by the work, the Qataris have tripled the salaries of the newly recruited Kenyan engineers.
Sources privy to the arrangement revealed that three of the 20 engineers left without serving notice and instead opted to pay KQ for an immediate exit, backed by their new employer.
The other 17 engineers are said to be serving notice although their new employer has already taken over repayment of their loans and mortgage.
KQ confirmed the exits noting that its staff
are
among the highly talented ones in the industry hence on demand.
“In the airline industry, these movements are expected especially in airline specific jobs. Many Middle East carriers and other airlines are in an expansion stage and have been scouting for talent. Kenya Airways offers excellent training which has placed our technical staff amongst the best trained in the world,” said KQ human resources director Alban Mwenda in an email response.
“It is true that we have lost some of our staff from our technical department over the last three months. While the number is about the same as you have mentioned, not all are engineers,” Mwenda added.
KQ last Thursday announced plans to retrench 600 workers starting May, four years after it fired over 400 staff in a similar exercise
This comes hardly two weeks after the cash-strapped KQ sold its prime landing spot at London’s Heathrow Airport for an estimated Sh7.5 billion in a move aviation experts say could significantly affect the airline’s performance.
They say it was foolhardy for the airline to sell the slot because in case of a mechanical problem, KQ will pay millions of shillings in parking fees, especially if the repairs require spare parts. The slot will now be used by Oman Air which has also agreed on a wet leasing deal for two B 787s.