Cape Town International Airport is facing a jet fuel shortage due to an ongoing South African Revenue Service (Sars) audit that has restricted the distribution of aviation fuel in the city, the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA) confirmed on Friday.
Acsa says the fuel industry has implemented an interim solution allowing affected airlines to uplift fuel from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, subject to prior arrangements. This workaround should secure additional fuel supply from Wednesday, November 19 onwards for the four domestic airlines.
However, Lufthansa Group published a notice warning passengers that, due to the unpredictable situation, Lufthansa and Edelweiss might announce short-term schedule changes for some of their departures from Cape Town between November 19 and 24.
Regulatory hurdles
According to FIASA, the reduced available jet fuel supply comes as a result of the continued detention of jet fuel stocks under Sars verification, preventing suppliers from uplifting product from Burgan Cape Terminals in the Port of Cape Town to the airport.
“The Association fully supports Sars’ mandate to uphold compliance,” said Avhapfani Tshifularo, CEO of FIASA. “However, the extended duration of this process has now created a real risk of fuel shortages that could disrupt flights, impact tourism and undermine the Western Cape economy during the peak travel season.”
The affected fuel import facility holds approximately 20 days of jet fuel, which acts as a critical buffer for national fuel security and air transport reliability.
Although domestic jet fuel refining has been increased and stakeholders are pushing to reduce regulatory red tape surrounding jet fuel imports following shortages at OR Tambo International in February and August, FIASA warns that these measures cannot fully compensate for the current constraint.
“The aviation sector depends on predictable and continuous fuel supply. We therefore urge Sars and all relevant stakeholders to expedite the necessary verifications and authorise the release of detained Jet A-1 fuel without further delay,” said Tshifularo.
“This is a solvable problem. We call for urgent cooperation between Sars, industry, and government to restore stability, safeguard South Africa’s international connectivity, and protect jobs and growth in the Western Cape.”
