Big problem for airports in South Africa resurfaces thanks to load shedding

 ·6 Mar 2023

Over the past weekend (5 March), the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) reported that low jet fuel supply reserves at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) had been restored after load shedding stalled the airport’s largest supplier.

The airline said that jet fuel supply is now stable but is being monitored closely to try and prevent cancellations and minimise disruptions.

Travellers are still advised to monitor their flight schedules.

On 3 March, ACSA announced that CTIA had low fuel stock due to factors impacting one of its major suppliers and was planning to resolve the issue.

The company reached out to alternative fuel suppliers, airlines and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the continuity of operations.

The shortage highlighted the fragility of the jet fuel supply at two of the biggest airports in South Africa, the CTIA and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).

Responding to a recent parliamentary Q&A, the outgoing minister of transport, Fikile Mbalula, said that delays in the import of crude oil, a lack of buffer stock and delayed shipments, among other things, have caused fuel shortages at the two major airports since March 2022.

One of the primary issues is the overreliance on importation. According to the minister, over the past few years, South Africa has lost significant jet fuel refining capacity – from five refineries to only one – meaning that there is more reliance on imported fuel.

At CTIA, for example, the single refinery servicing the airport is not fully operational – meaning that 100% of jet fuel is imported. The fuel is also transported over large distances, from refinery to storage tanks via road tankers and then via the airport hydrant system into the plane.

ORTIA receives the bulk (70%) of its fuel from the inland Natref refinery via a pipeline and the remaining 30% from Durban via rail.

“There is neither strategic stock nor significant buffer stock of jet fuel held in the country, which means the jet fuel supply operates largely on a just-in-time system – with only about five days of buffer stock held at the airport storage tanks,” the minister said.

CTIA’s other most recent issue around jet fuel stock was between 30 September and 7 October last year, where a fuel shipment to the refinery was delayed. Due to the limited buffer stock, this impacted the supply to airlines.

Little reprieve from load shedding is expected; Eskom recently announced that generating unit each at Camden, Duvha and Majuba and two other units at Kriel broke down and were taken offline for repairs in the last 24 hours.

The return to service of a generating unit each at Hendrina, Medupi and Tutuka was also delayed – prompting the company to push rolling blackouts to stage 4 for the week.


Read: Eskom announces load shedding schedule for the week

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