Fuel problems at airport solved
A contract to supply of aviation fuel to Wonderboom Airport in the north of the city has been secured.
Years of problems with the erratic availability and ridiculously high price of aviation-fuel at Wonderboom Airport – owned by the Tshwane metro – have finally been solved.
A two-year contract for the supply of fuel to the airport has now been signed between BP Air Gas and the municipality, Tshwane mayoral spokesman Blessing Manale confirmed.
Reliable fuel supply to the airport, which since August, had been offering flights between Pretoria and Cape Town, would go a long way to improving trust in the facility.
The flights are being operated by Airlink.
“We believe the move would also attract more tenants to Wonderboom Airport such as private pilots, aircraft lease companies and flight school operators,” Manale said.
“Since the initial problems with supply started, the metro has been in consultation with the Treasury and the SA Airports Company to find, not only a short-term solution, but put in place a long-term supply mechanism which would be more beneficial to tenants and flight operators,” he said.
“As a short-term solution, flight operators and other companies secured their own fuel if it conformed to the Civil Aviation Authority regulations.”
For the past five years, serious problems with fuel at Wonderboom had resulted in aircraft operators either refueled at other airports or bought their own supply at prices between R6 and R7 per litre higher.
The contract announcement was welcomed by DA oversight committee member and transport spokesman Francois Bekker.
“It is just a pity it took five years to address the matter,” Bekker said.
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