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23 November 2012 | Anna Reynolds
OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa was forced to take emergency measures to ensure airlines had access to fuel after it received seven million litres of contaminated fuel from a supplier.
Last Friday, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) was informed by the fuel consortium, led by Air BP that the supplies the airport had received from the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref) refinery were contaminated and unfit for use by aircraft. The airport normally receives around three million litres of fuel a day through the dedicated pipeline from Natref.
Air BP spokesperson Glenda Zvenyika said to SM: “The situation is now well under control thanks to the cooperation of a number of stakeholders. We have had an 80 per cent restriction imposed on airlines using the airport’s fuel supplies but from Monday onwards we will lift the fuel restriction to 90 per cent as stock levels are beginning to improve.”
The OR Tambo management team is continuing to work with domestic and international airlines to access fuel from ACSA’s other network of airports to minimise the impact on airlines, passengers and airport operations.
Natref told SM the matter was “being resolved”.
