The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has confirmed that the supply of jet fuel to local airlines, flying in and out of OR Tambo International Airport, is stable.
The South African Petroleum Industry Association recently raised concerns that jet fuel stocks at the airport are low, but not critical, and that rail deliveries of the fuel may be delayed due to the flood damage in KwaZulu-Natal.
Acsa’s Group Executive of Operations Management, Terence Delomoney, says some international airlines may experience issues with jet fuel supplies.
Delomoney says, “At an overall level, we don’t have a shortage of jet fuel. Our jet fuel supply at OR Tambo at the moment hovers between 3-4 days’ worth of supply. However, individual airlines, particularly our international airlines, are having difficulty in accessing the fuel stock that we have because it does not belong to the companies they buy from.”
“The latest floods in KZN have exacerbated the situation. The supply from the coast has now been totally cut off. At this point in time it can only be resolved among the airlines involved and the oil companies, so there could be some intercompany transfers of the fuel.”
