After weeks of interruptions in the airport’s schedules and potentially causing substantial financial losses, the supply of jet fuel at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in South Africa has returned to normal on May 17. The OR Tambo International Airport is not only the country’s busiest airport but one of the continent’s most used air terminals.
Due to extensive floods, railway lines in the KwaZulu-Nata region were damaged causing a delay in the transport of jet fuel supplies to OR Tambo.
South Africa relies on both domestic and imported jet fuel to meet its needs. Imports account for 70% of the total supply within the African nation. Either way, imported or home-grown, jet fuel is transported across the country through the rail network.
According to industry representatives and Airports Company SA (Acsa) who is responsible for operating South Africa’s airports, stated on Tuesday that OR Tambo had about six days’ worth of jet fuel supplies, up from three and a half days last week. The standard availability period is five days.
The lack of jet fuel impacted airline schedules, particularly for foreign carriers, forcing some to cancel flights or refuel at other airports in the country or region, which increased their expenses by requiring them to pay landing fees at other airports.
As per the Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu, two international airlines cancelled 14 flights between April 27 and May 1 due to fuel supply concerns. All this affected 3,150 passengers. Acsa had to pay at least R1.5 million in passenger fees and apart from that hundreds and thousands in landing costs. Furthermore, there have been no more cancellations.