Cape Town International Airport was forced to shut down its main runway on Thursday afternoon following a technical issue with an aircraft.
The aircraft in question was removed from the runway but left hydraulic fuel behind on the runway.
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A Taag Angola aircraft reportedly experienced a dual hydraulic failure after landing, resulting in hydraulic fluid being sprayed along the main runway.
The main runway was closed just after 2pm and an inspection was conducted by City’s Fire and Rescue teams who uncovered the hydraulic fuel spill on the tarmac.
As a result, officials have warned of ongoing air traffic delays and flight diversions as no flights could take off or land while emergency clean-up operations were underway.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) released a notice on social media, saying the airport would reopen shortly once clean-up is complete.
‘As a result, both arrival and departure flights have been impacted,’ said the organisation.
‘ACSA expects cleanup operations to be completed shortly during which time the main runway will remain closed. We would like to apologise to all our customers and stakeholders for any inconvenience caused,’ added ACSA.
In the meantime, travellers have been urged to get in touch with their respective airlines to find out about updated flight details.
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