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Jet fuel shortage: Commuters brace for flight disruptions
Cape Town International Airport has 4.5 days of jet fuel left.
A delay in an international shipment of jet fuel has resulted in worrying stock shortages. Photo for illustration: iStock
Serious jet fuel shortages reported at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) on Tuesday, threaten to affect local and regional commuters.
The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) said it noted the shortage with “grave concern”, adding that this would not only result in flight disruptions, but additional costs.
“These restrictions are now likely to result in disruptions to airline schedules and possibly cancelled flights at a time when the industry and the economy can ill afford it.”
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is currently managing fuel stocks at the CTIA.
ALSO READ: Jet fuel shortage: Interventions put in place to stop cancellation of flights, says Acsa
Fuel stocks
Acsa communications group manager Gopolang Peme told The Citizen that plans were in place for the CTIA not to run out of fuel.
The delay, Peme explained, was due to a vessel scheduled to deliver jet fuel to South Africa from overseas being delayed.
The vessel is still making its way to deliver jet fuel, just not as quickly as anticipated.
Peme said the CTIA currently has 4.5 days of fuel left.
“We managed to get an additional two million litres to boost our stockpile. But it is not likely that we will run out of fuel,” Peme assured.
He said Acsa had also reached out to stakeholders and jet fuel producing operators to ensure current stock is maximised.
ALSO READ: Jet fuel shortage: Mbalula assures airlines that supply has been restored
International reliance
Encouragingly, Peme said refineries producing jet fuel in South Africa would be opening up “quite soon”.
“This will ensure we have stability to produce jet fuel again in South Africa.”
Jet fuel is produced locally and purchased from overseas, with Business Day reporting that imports account for 70% of the country’s supply.
AASA said the current situation threw into sharp focus the country’s “vulnerability” due to a strong reliance on imported jet fuel.
“We call on government and fuel suppliers to move with urgency and put in place a far more robust resilience plan to ensure sufficient stocks of aviation fuel are always available for our airlines.”
In April this year, the jet fuel value chain was also affected due to devastating floods that hit KwaZulu-Natal.
This resulted in damage to railway infrastructure, and as a result, OR Tambo International Airport’s fuel stocks were threatened, with a limited number of rail tanks able to reach the airport at the time.
ALSO READ: Govt’s handling of KZN flood disaster had poor coordination, concedes Mabuza
Additional costs
AASA said despite local and regional short-haul airlines being able to tanker fuel to maintain their flight schedules, this comes at a cost.
Extra fuel loads to carry extra supply as a contingency plan increases the weight of a plane, which burns even more fuel.
“This puts further cost pressures on airlines at a time when they are already struggling with a more than 100% rise in the price of jet fuel, higher finance charges and interest rates as well as increased labour and other costs.”
AASA said many airlines may be unable to tanker fuel over long distances. These airlines would have to resort to intermediate en-route refuelling stops, or fly to Johannesburg or Durban to fill up before embarking on north and east-bound return flights.
“In such instances, we urge government to waive the additional on-route air navigation and airport fees airlines will incur in order to comply with the fuel rations at Cape Town.”
