Workers went on strike in protest of an Indian business group’s planned acquisition, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck at Kenya’s main airport.
Large lines gathered outside Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday morning, as aircraft were delayed and cancelled.
Union leaders announced Wednesday evening that they would return to work and that normal activities will resume soon.
Workers have staged a protest over intentions to lease JKIA to the Adani group for 30 years.
The airline workers union claims the arrangement is “opaque” and could result in job losses.
The unions agreed to return to work after being assured that the contract with Adani would not be completed without their approval.
According to the government, Nairobi’s airport is running beyond capacity and requires private investment to modernize.
According to footage released by local network Citizen TV, scores of airport workers blew plastic trumpets and screamed “Adani must go” on Wednesday morning.
The footage also appears to show a police officer striking a protester with a baton.
Wilma van Altena, who was on vacation in Kenya but cut her trip short to return to the Netherlands for a funeral, was among those detained at the airport.
“It’s been chaotic… there were hundreds of people outside the airport when we arrived and we stood around and eventually made it inside,” she told the BBC.
“We have no information. There’s nothing on the boards, we’ve heard nothing from the airline. I need to get home but I have no idea when that will happen.”
The Zimbabwe Men’s Football Team was also stranded.
The group had flown into Nairobi following an Africa Cup of Nations qualification game in Uganda, but had received no information concerning their subsequent journey to Harare, according to an unnamed official.
Stewart Maclean of the BBC, who is among those waiting for a flight, reported that at around 05:45 BST (07:45 local time), the hundreds of people queuing outside the airport were calm and patient but frustrated. He stated that the cabin crew and pilots were among those waiting.
