Strike delays Kenya Airways flights, six charged

* Six union leaders charged in court after 3,000 strike

* Strikers demand 130 pct pay hike

* Early morning flights delayed

By Duncan Miriri and Humphrey Malalo

NAIROBI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR), part-owned by Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA), suffered flight delays at its main Nairobi hub on Friday, after a strike by some 3,000 workers demanding a 130 percent pay rise. Six leaders of the Aviation and Allied Workers Union, the employees' body, were arrested by police at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before dawn as they addressed staff. They were charged with unlawful assembly and later released on bail.

The east African nation's industrial court approved a request on Tuesday by the airline stopping its workers from going on strike until the court hears the pay dispute. [ID:nLB10862]

Flights to the coastal city of Mombasa, Kisumu, Maputo, Dar es Salaam, Addis Ababa and Entebbe were delayed, Kenya Airways' chief executive officer, Titus Naikuni, told reporters.

Kenya Airways, which posted a 2008 loss, is one of the continent's leading carriers along with Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways. [ID:nL58257]

One employee said just three flights out of a scheduled 25 had taken off so far on Friday. The employee, who asked not to be named, also accused police and the airline of intimidation.

"The ones who have gone with those flights have been forced ... (employees) were taken to the planes by police and senior managers of this company," he said.

Police and managers of the airline, were not immediately available to comment on those allegations.

Management has offered an 11 to 13 percent pay rise for cabin crew, ground staff and engineers, but the striking workers have held out for 130 percent. The union is angry that the 3,000 employees account for a relatively small part of the total wage bill compared with management and pilots.

French-Dutch carrier Air France-KLM owns 26 percent of Kenya Airways, while the Kenya government has a 23 percent stake. (Editing by Daniel Wallis and Gilbert Kreijger)