‘Delayed indefinitely’: Planes ‘refuelling’ as OR Tambo chaos spreads across the country [VIDEO]

Planes have reportedly begun refuelling at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday afternoon, but long queues persist across the country.

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) had earlier warned travellers that airlines were unable to refuel aircraft as normal at the airport.

As a result, around 70% of national flights were delayed.

Frustration and panic spread to King Shaka International Airport

This had a domino effect, with passengers at other major airports across the country unable to catch their flights.

At King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal, people lined up in queues snaking hundreds of metres toward an empty runway.

WATCH: Queues form at King Shaka International Airport

WATCH: Passengers queue for a flight at King Shaka International Airport amid refuelling issues in Johannesburg. 📹: @heinkaiser pic.twitter.com/GbeBzw7LSJ

— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) December 9, 2024

Above their heads, status monitors read that flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town were “delayed indefinitely”.

Many had been stranded at airports since 10am. They claimed they had received no formal notice of the reason for the delay, but it was believed planes were stuck in Johannesburg amid the fuel shortages.

Frustration mixed with anxiety, as panicked passengers voiced their concerns about missing connecting flights.

Even as refuelling resumed in Johannesburg, further delays were anticipated because crews had knocked off and there was a scramble to get more staff.

Airport lounges were also packed, as those fortunate to be able to gain access rushed to get food and places to rest.

One airline pilot waiting for an inbound flight claimed Acsa were an “incompetent bunch of clowns” and mentioned the previous fuel and technical challenges that airports have faced.

“It is all falling apart” he said.

Regional airline warns flights may be cancelled

Amid the chaos, regional carrier Airlink apologised to its customers.

“While the disruptions are beyond Airlink’s control, we are doing the best we can to clear the backlog of delayed flights within the constraints of safety regulations such as crew duty limitation,” it said.

It added that while the refuelling system has been temporarily repaired, delays are still affected with the “boarding and disembarkation of flights, checked-baggage handling, cleaning and the provisioning of flights”. 

It warned that some flights might be cancelled.

Flight delays

This is the latest incident of flight delays after the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) in July advised travellers flying to the George (FAGG), Kimberly International Airport (FAKM), Upington International Airport (FAUP), King Phalo/East London (FAEL), Mthatha Airport (FAUT) and Polokwane International Airport (FAPP), disruptions at these airports.

The delays were due to the ATNS conducting a maintenance programme for instrument flight procedures at various airports nationwide.

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“In terms of our safety management system, procedures that do not meet the requirement should be suspended unless such non-compliances are mitigated,” said ATNS spokesperson Percy Morokane at the time.

As a result, the ATNS suspended flight procedures that facilitate access to these airports during inclement weather.

Since then, the King Phalo Airport has been most affected by flight delays due to inclement weather, with the latest incident taking place on 20 November.

“The cloud base was below the acceptable minima, and for safety reasons, these precautions were necessary,” said the ATNS.

A few days later, it announced that the instrument landing system (ILS) flight procedure for Runway 11 at the airport had been approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

ALSO READ: ATNS’ maintenance programme for flight procedures affects several airports

“This approval ensures that both runways, 29 and 11, at King Phalo Airport will have valid procedures in place. As a result of this development, flight operations are expected to improve, reducing the likelihood of flight disruptions as witnessed recently with cancellations, diversions, and delays, due to inclement weather conditions.”