Another jet fuel crisis has hit Cape Town International Airport as technical issues caused by loadshedding have resulted in the largest supplier not being able to meet demand.
Airports Company SA (ACSA) sent out a notice to airmen on Friday afternoon, according to News24. Supposedly, airlines were made aware that the large supplier has only been able to produce a small fraction of their usual amount.
According to News24‘s source, domestic airlines were informed late Thursday night of the supply issues and that tankering fuel was urgently required.
Also read: Jet fuel crisis leads cancellations at the Cape Town International Airport
Fuel tankering is when an aircraft intentionally carries excess fuel in order to avoid having to refuel at its destination.
“The problem with domestic airlines is that, if they tanker fuel, for example from Johannesburg, they will likely have to drop the number of passengers on the flight. This will mean impacting passengers, flying at a loss and potentially having to cancel flights,” says News24‘s source.
“ACSA should immediately instruct international carriers to refuel elsewhere, like Durban or Johannesburg, and require all domestic airlines to tanker as much as possible without bumping passengers. This will help to preserve the fuel that is still available.”
Fuel stock levels dropped dramatically throughout 2022, and in December 2022, ACSA said jet fuel supply challenges experienced in Cape Town would not happen again.
ACSA says it is currently holding discussions between fuel suppliers and airlines to combat the issues and ensure a reliable income of fuel.
No flights have been cancelled at the time of publishing this article.
Also read:
Western Cape maps out plans to help generate almost 6GW of power
Picture: Capi-Lux