Court Rejects Bid to Block Kenya Airways from Training Pilots Abroad

The High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to bar Kenya Airways (KQ) from training its pilots abroad.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, in his petition, faulted the national airline for sending its trainee pilots outside the country yet there are aviation schools in Kenya.

KQ pilots have been undergoing training in South Africa under the Ab Initio Pilot Trainee Programme, but the programme was suspended indefinitely in June 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kenya Airways prefers to train its pilots in South Africa due to the quality of facilities and the capacity of instructors, Business Daily reports. It is also believed that South African airspace gives trainees a more challenging learning environment.

Omtatah argued that KQ is a public entity having been bailed out by the government several times, hence it is wrong for the airline to use taxpayers’ funds to send pilots for training abroad.

While dismissing the petition, Justice Hedwig Ong’udi ruled that Kenya Airways was not a public body and that Omtatah failed to show how the airline violated his rights by sending pilots outside the country for training.

The court further ruled that the South African training programme was suspended indefinitely, hence the prohibition order sought cannot be issued as the petition by Omtatah has been overtaken by events.

KQ opposed the petition, saying it is governed by its constitutive documents and internal processes on procurement and administration.

The airline disputed claims that it uses taxpayers’ money to fund the pilots’ training, stating that the Ab Initio Pilot Trainee Programme is funded through loans from Co-op Bank.

KQ further averred that Wilson Airport, where most of the Kenyan pilot training schools are based, lacks ground-based navigation aids. This forces trainee pilots to try to get a slot in the already busy JKIA airport, making it difficult for the students to get adequate practice on these navigation aids.