Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula Says OR Tambo’s Fuel Issues Were “A Thing of the Past” Ahead of Peak Period

• Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula believes the fuel issues at OR Tambo International Airport were “a thing of the past”
• He was confident that the airport was well-equipped and ready to handle the end-of-festive season rush
• Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) CEO Mpumi Mpofu shared the same views and said the crisis mode had passed

JOHANNESBURG - Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula expressed his confidence in the OR Tambo International Airport as holidaymakers flock to return home following the festive season.

He believes the airport is well-equipped and ready to deal with the rush period after conducting an oversight inspection at the airport. His visit came after 41 flights were delayed due to fuel issues.

Mbalula said he was assured by airport staff that they had plans in place to prevent a similar incident from reoccurring. According to EWN, the minister said the airport had shown a 78% improvement since the last festive period.

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The transport minister said the fuel issues were “a thing of the past” as fuel stock levels were stabilised. He said the stock will ensure the airport can comfortably meet the demand during the peak season.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) shared similar views as Mbalula about the technical issues relating to refuelling having been resolved. ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu told News24 that the crisis mode has passed.

ACSA added that several measures had been put in place to ensure refuelling issues do not reoccur. Among the measures includes allowing the transportation of fuel by road.

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Briefly News also reported that passengers were left stranded at the OR Tambo International Airport when flights were grounded due to a fuel issue on Wednesday, 28 December.

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The problem which has since been resolved was due to a technical issue at a storage facility. The fuel issue caused chaos at the airport as flights were delayed.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) Spokesperson Samukelo Khambule told The Citizen that the challenge related to the supply of fuel from the storage facility to the main hydrant system.

Source: Briefly News