South Africa
Jet fuel shortage affects flights at OR Tambo─── 05:49 Tue, 03 Jan 2023
At least 41 flights were affected by jet fuel shortages at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg last week.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says 32 of those flights were domestic, eight were international, and one was regional.
Mbalula says the incident was a result of a technical glitch in the storage facility.
"The airport was confronted with the challenge of a technical fault between the fuel storage facility and the main entrance system, which impacted the refuelling of aircraft. The technical issue was as a result of the main supply valve that supplied fuel to the aprons not opening, resulting in rotational delays to domestic and international departures.
"Acsa (Airport Company of South Africa) was swift in its response and immediately implemented the contingency measure of deploying a tanker to refuel aircraft.
"The challenge was met in a way that minimised the impact and ensured that flight schedules returned to normal within a reasonable time," he says.
He conducted an oversight visit at the airport on Monday.
