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Air France-KLM’s French unions voiced impatience on Thursday with a frozen pay dispute, threatening renewed industrial action unless the airline group resumes talks that were curtailed by its CE’s resignation in May. The group has refused to reopen pay talks pending the arrival of its next CEO Ben Smith in late September. Unions representing pilots, cabin crew and ground staff are demanding a 5.1% pay hike to compensate for a five-year erosion of real wages due to inflation.“The completely irresponsible attitude of Air France managers has led the unions to conclude that only a significant hardening of the conflict will force them to resolve it permanently,” a cross-union grouping said.<br/>

Kenya Airways may hire as many as 100 pilots annually as the company grows its fleet and adds as many as 20 new routes in the next five years, CEO Sebastian Mikosz said. Sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest carrier is facing “significant operational challenges” and needs as many as 70 additional first officers and 50 captains to operate its current fleet of 40 aircraft, along with new aircraft it plans to acquire, Mikosz said. The airline is preparing to take back five aircraft sub-leased to Oman Air Transport and Turkish Airlines from October and needs more people to fly them, he said. “We believe this is the only way to use the fleet we are getting back and eventually any new fleet, and we have to do it now,” Mikosz said. The company has trained 80 pilots so far, and is exploring the hiring of foreign pilots on contract terms to plug the gap created by retirements, departures and resignations. The carrier could source some experienced foreign pilots in order to save on training costs, according to Gerald Muriuki, an analyst at Genghis Capital Ltd. Still, the Kenya Pilots Union may oppose the hiring of foreign pilots, he said. Foreign airlines that may be a source of pilots include struggling South African Airways, Mikosz said. <br/>