South Africa Airports Grapple With Fuel Shortages, System Failures and Constant Delays

26 January 2025
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Lisakanya Venna

South Africa faces an ongoing aviation crisis, leaving many travellers disappointed.

Cape Town International Airport was thrown into chaos on Thursday, 22 January after a "damaged power cable" crippled critical operations, including the fuel depot.

The resulting power outages sparked a wave of flight delays and cancellations, with FlySafair citing fuel pump issues as a major contributor.

This incident, one of many, has sparked concern over the deteriorating state of South African airline operations and the reliability of their systems, with fears of a deeper crisis in the country's aviation sector.

Broader pattern

The disruptions at Cape Town International Airport are part of a broader pattern of concerns over the reliability of South Africa's aviation infrastructure. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting about the fuel supply at OR Tambo International Airport. Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) confirmed on Sunday, 19 January, that industry stakeholders were collaborating to ensure a continued jet fuel supply to OR Tambo International Airport following a fire at the Natref refinery on 4 January 2025.

Currently, OR Tambo has 27.1 million litres of jet fuel, which is about 7.6 days of stock. To meet the daily consumption of 3.6 million litres, stakeholders, including the Fuels Industry...

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