• N14106 United Airlines (Her Art Here-California Livery) Boeing 757-224 (1)
    United Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    UA/UAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1931
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Scott Kirby
    Country:
    United States

United Airlines' Newark-Johannesburg route is presently facing disruption due to a fuel shortage at the South African airport. The carrier, which has been serving this aerial corridor for just under a year, has already been forced to make several cancelations on the route. These cuts have impacted flights in both directions.

The route in a nutshell

To understand the nature of the issue facing United, it is important to establish its presence on the route. It began flying between Newark Liberty International (EWR) and Johannesburg OR Tambo International (JNB) last June. This marked a return to South Africa for the carrier, which had suspended its Newark-Cape Town route.

United doesn't plan to return to Cape Town until June, when it will reconnect the city with Newark on a thrice-weekly basis. However, its Newark-Johannesburg route is already alive and kicking. Indeed, tracking data from FlightRadar24.com shows that it is scheduled to serve the corridor with a daily flight in each direction.

United currently has a monopoly on flights between Johannesburg and Newark. As Simple Flying reported at the time of the route's launch, it has been able to cash in on the gap in the market left by South African Airways' struggles. The daily flights use Boeing 787-9s that feature United's Polaris and Premium Plus cabins.

Newark Johannesburg Map
The flights operate overnight in both directions. Image: FlightRadar24.com

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Fuel shortages cause disruption

Unfortunately, in recent days, United's Newark-Johannesburg flights (and vice versa) haven't been able to operate on their usual daily basis. This is reportedly due to a fuel shortage at the South African city's OR Tambo International Airport, which has forced the US legacy carrier to cut its operations on the route for now.

Last week and over the weekend, FlightRadar24 showed that things were especially difficult in the Johannesburg-Newark direction. Flight UA187 was canceled on April 21st, and the departures on the 22nd and 23rd both left over an hour late. Yesterday's iteration left punctually, but today's has been canceled outright.

While the Newark-Johannesburg flights have fared better, UA188 was canceled yesterday. This is likely because, while flying to South Africa wouldn't be an issue, the fuel shortages potentially pose a risk of the aircraft (and its crew) getting stuck there. How long the disruption will last for remains to be seen. In the meantime, Simple Flying has reached out to United Airlines for further information.

United Boeing 787
The cancelation of yesterday's EWR-JNB flight has caused today's return leg to be shelved too. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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An increasingly common issue?

This is far from the only fuel shortage story that Simple Flying has covered in recent months. Indeed, back in February, Nigeria's Azman Air had to delay several flights due to such issues. More recently, Senegal's Dakar International Airport has asked carriers flying there to have enough fuel onboard for their return journeys.

Malawi 24 has also reported that Malawi Airlines' Johannesburg-bound flights have also been disrupted due to the fuel shortage. The carrier stated that "the payload for our Johannesburg flight was heavily affected due to the return fuel uplift. Consequently, the passenger, baggage, and cargo load uplift was restricted/reduced to 70% of the aircraft's capacity due to weight limitation."

What do you make of United's cancelations between Newark and Johannesburg? Have they impacted your travel plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Malawi 24