OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, has received a commitment of an additional 1.5 million litres of jet fuel from the state-controlled Central Energy Fund (CEF) to address fuel shortages.
CEF is working toward providing the jet fuel in order to address shortages, in case there is a ‘mismatch’ between supply and demand at the airport.
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Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) CEO Mpumi Mpofu said: “While overall stock levels are stable, certain suppliers impacted by the declared force majeure are still unable to acquire the quantities of jet fuel they require.”
The jet fuel shortage is linked to floods in the KwaZulu-Natal province, which damaged infrastructure in the region.
The shortage is said to have forced two international airline companies to cancel 15 flights, while some other airlines have had to re-route journeys in order to make additional stops for refuelling.
Mpofu further noted that these flight cancellations have resulted in a loss of nearly $93,000 (R1.5m) in ACSA passengers fees and thousands in landing fees.
According to Reuters, ACSA said that last month’s floods have damaged the rail lines on the route to Johannesburg, as a result of which only 11 rail tanks out of 67 en route to OR Tambo International Airport arrived.
The airport is currently operating on three and a half days of available stock, Mpofu said.
