Johannesburg – The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has revealed that a faulty valve prevented aircraft refueling at OR Tambo International Airport, leading to disruptions that affected 177 flights and 22,073 passengers.

In a statement, ACSA extended its “unreserved apologies to all stakeholders and the public” for the flight disruptions at OR Tambo Airport on Monday, December 9, 2024.

The disruptions took place between 09:05 and 12:35, with refueling services resuming at 13:01 after the valve was manually operated.

RELATED: OR Tambo Airport: Faulty Valve Causes Refueling Problems, Flights Grounded – The Bulrushes

The issues related to refueling have now been resolved, allowing operations to return to normal.

RELATED: OR Tambo Airport: ACSA Says Fuel Challenges That Grounded Flights Resolved – The Bulrushes

“This disruption directly impacted approximately 177 flights and 22,073 passengers between 09:05 and 13:01, when flights were resumed,” ACSA stated.

“The ripple effect of this four-hour delay further disrupted many flights and passengers between 13:00 and 23:00 as the backlog was addressed.

“In total, the impact on the ACSA network included 483 flights and 49,429 passengers, along with 31 cancellations for the day.

“This incident occurred amidst an estimated total of 1,500 flights and 110,000 passengers typically processed through ACSA’s network daily.”

According to ACSA, nearly one-third of the flights were affected, impacting around half of the daily passenger traffic.

“The disruption stemmed from a fractured drive shaft, as shown in the image below,” the statement explained.

Further details indicated that the damaged drive shaft caused a valve failure, which hindered the transfer of jet fuel from the storage tank.

The necessary repairs were completed on Monday at 13:00, restoring the system to its normal operating status.

“An emergency valve replacement is being arranged to ensure the reliability of this component moving forward,” the statement noted.

“The OR Tambo International Airport fuel infrastructure is currently undergoing a comprehensive approved capital program that encompasses refurbishment and capacity-related initiatives, which are at various stages of completion.

“The estimated total value of these projects is R1.5 billion.”

ACSA mentioned that since the previous incident two years ago involving a major fuel valve failure, the valve has been replaced, and operations resumed.

“The lessons learned from this incident underscored the necessity for a thorough overhaul of the entire system,” the statement commented.

“This process required significant time, complying with regulatory obligations, including securing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval.”

Additionally, ACSA reported that the bypass mechanism also needed approval from the Approved Inspection Authority (AIA), which “further extended the timeline.”

In mid-2024, the airport implemented a tank configuration modification to accommodate larger fuel volumes from the coastal pipeline.

ACSA stated that other ongoing projects will enhance reliability and provide redundancy in the fuel system.

These projects include:

  • A new 20-inch jet fuel line extending 1.8 km from the tank farm to the aprons, with construction expected to begin in March 2025 and complete by March 2026.
  • A bypass mechanism for additional redundancy, currently in implementation and measuring about 9 meters in length, expected to be completed by February 2025.

The ACSA Board will undertake a detailed investigation into this incident and prepare a report outlining the root causes along with suitable corrective actions as new and replacement jet fuel lines are developed.

ACSA noted that a preliminary incident report is being finalized, pending laboratory analysis of the metal fragments by the Engineering Team to ascertain the cause of the drive shaft failure.

This will serve as the basis for an in-depth investigation by the ACSA Board.

“I am pleased to inform you that the refueling issues have been resolved, and the airport has been operating normally since yesterday afternoon,” stated ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu.

“The operational backlog resulting from this incident has been successfully cleared, and flights have returned to their schedules.”

ACSA stressed that media reports regarding a disaster unfolding at OR Tambo International Airport due to the refueling issue were overstated.

“We are ready to welcome tourists, families, business travelers, and visitors to our beautiful country and facilitate their connections,” ACSA affirmed.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused and appreciate your understanding and patience.”