Kenya Airways rejects AFRAA's claims that Gulf carriers 'poach' staff

Kenya Airways CEO Titus Nalkuni has rejected claims by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) that Gulf carriers pose a threat to African aviation by "poaching" staff (Arabian Aerospace, 21-Jul-2011). "We have lost just three or four staff to a Gulf airline and two of those came back," stated Mr Nalkuni. The CEO said his company had extensive plans for growth over the next 10 years, with plans to launch services to Jeddah and Beirut later in 2011. Mr Nalkuni did state that there is a shortage of pilots, however, the carrier plans to hire foreign captains and introduce new training schemes to overcome this.