After a week, the jet fuel shortage at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) seems to have concluded. The airport reassures airlines and passengers that disruptions will be minimal, as fuel tanks have once again been filled. Let's have a closer look at the current situation in Cape Town.

How it all began...

A week ago, the Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) called on the South African Government to take action on a jet fuel shortage at Cape Town International Airport, which would have caused significant disruptions in the form of flight delays and cancellations.

The jet fuel shortage at Cape Town had been caused by rough seas, which led to a significant delay in delivering oil at Cape Town's port. The subsequent lack of the product induced Cape Town's airport to impose jet fuel rations, which caused the immediate reaction of the AASA.

Airlink
To address the jet fuel shortage, regional carriers were adopting the tanker fuel strategy, which, however, was not efficient from an environmental and economic perspective. Photo: Getty Images 

A strategy airlines adopted to overcome the obstacle was to tanker fuel in - filling airplanes with enough fuel for both the outbound and return flight. However, this adds weight to the aircraft, causing additional fuel burn, which is not a desirable or sustainable outcome. Additionally, airlines are already facing increased finance charges and interest rates, which make the tanker fuel strategy even less efficient.

... and how it resolved

Luckily, the sea has calmed down, and the tanker has made it to Cape Town's port, where it has delivered the product. Gopolang Peme, a spokesperson of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa, reassured carriers serving Cape Town Airport by stating:

"Once tests have been successfully run the jet fuel will then be pumped into the refinery."

Additionally, the management of Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) met with airlines and asked for a reduction in the amount of fuel they require at the airport; consequently, the airport can now count on fuel reserves for up to 4.5 days. Peme also added that the combined effort of airlines and airports has ensured that flight disruptions were limited to a minimum.

South African Airways Airbus A340-642 ZS-SNH (3)
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

To date, the only significant alteration to the planned schedule was United Airlines suspending the New York Newark (EWR) - Cape Town International (CPT) flight last Sunday, as the carrier could not source fuel for the return trip. In order to facilitate the smooth running of Cape Town's airport operations, passengers have been advised to be at the airport at least four hours before the scheduled departure time.

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A threat not just for airlines

Fuel shortages in Cape Town represented a severe threat not just for airlines but for the tourism industry as a whole.

Daniel Trappler, senior development director of The Radisson Hotel Group, pointed out how the fuel shortage was causing load shedding issues, which hindered tourism recovery in Cape Town and the surrounding area. Consequently, South Africa's recovery was disadvantaged compared to the rest of the country. Commenting on the issue, Trappler stated:

"Despite there being no lights or flights for Capetonians, we are optimistic that these setbacks won’t undo the progress made by the industry and remain confident about the recovery of the sector."

Which airline benefits the most from the restored fuel capacity?

Local, regional, and international carriers serve Cape Town International Airport. So which carrier will benefit the most from the restored jet fuel capacity at the airport?

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), between October and December 2022, the airline deploying the most capacity from Cape Town is the low-cost carrier (LCC) FlySafair (FA), followed by Airlink (4Z) and Global Aviation Operations, commonly known as Global Airways (GE). All three carriers are based in South Africa. The largest network carrier operating at CPT is South African Airways (SA), followed by British Airways (BA) - the sixth largest carrier at the airport, KLM (KL) - the seventh largest operator, and Qatar Airways - the eighth largest (QR).

FlySafair,_Boeing_737-4Q8
FlySafair is the carrier deploying the most capacity, measured in seats, from Cape Town between October and December 2022. Photo: Bob Adams via Wikimedia 

Simple Flying reached out to Cape Town International Airport for further comment. We will update the article with any additional announcements from the airline.

How efficiently do you think Cape Town airport managed the jet fuel shortage crisis? Let us know in the comment below!