Bonface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over 10 years of experience in finance, economics, business, markets, and aviation, offering insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Kenya Airways (KQ) hired 414 employees in the year ended December 2024, marking the second consecutive year of increasing its headcount.

KQ said in its 2024 annual report, seen by that it employed 5,242 workers in the period ending December 2024, up from the 4,828 workers it had in the previous year.

The increase in staff in 2024 means this was the second year in a row that the airline was hiring more workers after reducing its workforce in 2020.

The airline was severely hit in 2020 by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as demand for air travel declined, forcing it to lay off a sizable number of employees.

"The increase in the number of staff at KQ in the period under review was mainly driven by factors such as an increase in the number of flights that we operate.

"If you recall, we added more flights to some routes and introduced new routes as well, meaning we had to hire more workers," Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka told Ton Friday, May 30.

The airline said in the report that out of the 5,242 workers it employed in 2024, 1,608 were flight operators, 1,345 were ground handlers, 1,575 were in management and administration, while 714 workers were in the technical department.

In the previous financial year, when it employed 4,828 workers in total, 1,379 were flight operators, 1,280 were ground service staff, 1,438 were in management and administration, while 713 workers were in the technical department.

The airline hired more workers in a year that saw it post a record profit after suffering losses for several years.

In the financial year ended December 2024, Kenya Airways posted a profit after tax of KSh 5.4 billion, a turnaround from the KSh 22.7 billion loss recorded in 2023.

The airline’s total income grew to KSh 188.5 billion, a 5.6% increase from the KSh 178.5 billion reported in 2023.

The company, whose shares were lifted from trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange on January 5, 2024, attributed the improved performance to a combination of factors such as higher passenger numbers, strategic cost-cutting measures, and a favourable foreign exchange gain.

Michael Joseph has been chairman of the board of the airline since 2016.

Joseph, a Kenyan and British citizen, was re-elected by shareholders to the same position in June 2019 for another term.

He is now set to leave the chairmanship role at Kenya Airways after completing his term limit.

Source: TUKO.co.ke