ACSA confirms Cape Town Airport fuel leak, operations unaffected
· Citizen
As holidaymakers return home after the Easter break, Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) confirmed that operations at Cape Town International Airport remain on track, following a fuel leak incident involving an aircraft.
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ACSA said the incident occurred on the airport’s airside at about 11:06am on Sunday morning.
Ground incident
No fatalities or injuries were reported.
“Airports Company South Africa confirms that an airside ground handling incident occurred at Cape Town International Airport.
“The incident was immediately addressed by airport response teams, and the area was secured in accordance with standard airside safety procedures. Operations at the airport remain unaffected,” ACSA said.
ACSA said passenger safety remains “uncompromised” and advised passengers to consult the ACSA mobile app for routine flight updates.
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Iran war
Last month, the US and Israel’s war in Iran resulted in the temporary closure of large sections of Middle Eastern airspace, which disrupted not only outbound travel from South Africa but also inbound flights, with multiple long-haul services cancelled.
ACSA at the time said that operations by Gulf carriers were directly affected following the escalation of the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US.
Cancelled flights
At OR Tambo International Airport, eight flights were cancelled, including one inbound arrival and seven outbound departures.
Cape Town International Airport had four outbound cancellations, and King Shaka International Airport in Durban reported two outbound cancellations.
While the majority of cancellations reported by Acsa were outbound, the inbound impact is significant. South Africa receives thousands of international arrivals daily, many of whom route through major Gulf hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi before connecting onward domestically or regionally.
Airlines
Carriers affected include Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.
Beyond the thousands of passengers missing trips to the Middle East and onward destinations, the suspension of inbound flights on these carriers had immediate consequences for domestic and regional connections.
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