Namibian travellers not affected by OR Tambo refuelling troubles

Namibia has not recorded any serious impacts from the refuelling troubles that delayed flights in Johannesburg on Monday.

Gitta Paetzold, the chief executive officer of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), said although some connecting flights from Johannesburg might have been affected, there were no serious losses or impacts reported from Namibian travellers

“The bulk of our international tourists still come with Discover and Ethiopian Air. There may have been some losses and impacts, especially for Namibian travellers to South Africa and business travel, but nothing serious has been reported to HAN thus far,” said Paetzold.

Chairperson of the Namibia Travel and Tourism Forum Nrupesh Soni said knowledge of the refuelling issue helped minimise the impact.

“This impacted some tourism, yes, but a lot of other flights knew this was happening so they landed and transited via other airports nearby. It did not impact a lot eventually,” he said.

This comes after the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) notified travellers of delayed flights due to refueling challenges at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday.

“Please be advised that due to refueling challenges at OR Tambo International Airport, airlines are currently unable to refuel aircraft as normal. As a result, some flights may experience delays,” said the notice.

On Tuesday, ACSA reported that the problem has been resolved and flights have returned to normal. The refueling issue came as a result of a faulty valve that was fixed in the afternoon.

“The fuel system is now fully operational and fuel trucks are on their way to the apron at OR Tambo International Airport. Operations are back to normal. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused,” it said ACSA.

The system failure led to 54 flights being cancelled or delayed.

Yesterday Haseena Ismail, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) spokesperson on tourism in a statement said there should be a full ministerial investigation into the collapse of aviation fuel supply at OR Tambo International Airport, and its severe impact on South Africa’s tourism industry.

“Disruptions of this magnitude threaten to cripple our tourism sector, causing widespread flight delays, cancellations, and interruptions to connecting flights. These challenges deter travellers, lead to financial losses, and tarnish South Africa’s reputation as a tourist destination,” said Ismail.

According to Ismail, there are court documents showing that ACSA faces multiple liquidation applications due to its failure to pay service providers over R500 million, excluding interest, for services rendered.

“This is already a great concern – and a collapse of fuel supply yesterday lends further credence to this reporting,” said Ismael.

Just two days before the refuelling issues, some employees at the airport were on strike.