Hundreds of passengers have been stranded at Kenya’s main airport after workers went on strike in protest at a planned takeover by an Indian business group.
Large queues formed outside Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport morning as flights were delayed and canceled.
The workers were protesting a build-and-operate agreement between the Kenyan government and India’s Adani Group that would see the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport modernized, and an additional runway and terminal constructed, in exchange for the group running the airport for 30 years.
Union leaders on Wednesday evening said they would return to work and that normal operations would resume shortly.
The unions agreed to return to work after being given assurances that the deal with Adani would not be finalized without their approval.
The government says the airport in the capital, Nairobi, is operating beyond capacity and needs private investment to upgrade it.
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At the main airport, police officers had taken up security check-in roles with long lines seen outside the departure terminals and worried passengers unable to confirm if their flights would depart as scheduled.
The Kenya Airports Authority said in a statement that it was “engaging relevant parties to normalize operations” and urged passengers to contact their respective airlines to confirm flight status.
Wilma van Altena, who was on holiday in Kenya but cut her trip short to return to the Netherlands for a funeral, was among those stuck at the airport.
