FlySafair (FA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has formally requested a refund from the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) for passenger charges related to delays caused by a temporary refuelling system failure at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo on December 9, which disrupted a third of all flights at Southern Africa's biggest hub at the start of the country's peak summer holiday season.
The airline criticised the lack of adequate contingency measures, calling the incident preventable and highlighting the importance of maintaining critical infrastructure. "We believe this situation was entirely preventable and that sufficient contingency systems should have been in place to avoid this failure. This is critical infrastructure, and incidents like this should not be allowed to occur," charged executive manager and chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon.
In a statement, ACSA said the technical failure lasted four hours, from 0905L (0705Z) to 1301L (1101Z), the knock-on effect disrupting further flights until 2300L (2100Z). A total of 483 flights and 49,429 passengers were impacted, with 31 flight cancellations. All airlines operating at the hub were equally affected. Some were able to tanker extra fuel on flights to Johannesburg. The airport typically handles 1,500 flights and 110,000 passengers daily, meaning about a third of flights and half of all passengers on the day were impacted.
ACSA said a sheared drive shaft in the fuel system had halted the pumping of jet fuel from storage tanks to aprons, delaying refuelling. The airport has been working on an emergency valve replacement to ensure future reliability. The state-owned airport management company highlighted an ongoing ZAR1.5 billion rand (USD84.5 million) capital investment programme to enhance the system’s reliability. Future upgrades include a new 1.8-kilometre jet fuel line to be completed by March 2026 and a bypass mechanism to be implemented by February 2025.
In another incident two years ago, the airport's main fuel valve failed, which raised flags that the whole system needed an overhaul. In mid-2024, ACSA implemented a tank configuration modification to allow the airport to receive larger fuel volumes from the coastal pipeline.
Meanwhile, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) has signalled its grave concern over the system breakdown, its management, and what it termed inadequate contingency measures. "We urge ACSA to expedite the installation of the backup bypass line that was promised as part of the fuel supply resilience plan after the previous main supply valve failure in December 2022," it said in a statement.
