Acsa has confirmed that operations at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) are stabilising following a fire at the International Inner Lane, adjacent to the International Terminal, on Tuesday morning, February 24.
According to Acsa, the fire was reported at approximately 11h15 and was extinguished shortly thereafter. As a precaution, sections of the International Terminal affected by smoke were evacuated. Acsa confirmed that all passengers and staff had been safely evacuated.
During the day, international departures were suspended, while several were also diverted. Acsa reported that international departures resumed on Tuesday evening.
Arriving and departing domestic flights experienced minor delays and operations have since returned to normal.
Certain systems still manual
The fire affected essential systems such as check-in, border management and customs, baggage processing and network and IT services, including airport WiFi.
While some systems had been restored, certain functions were still being manually processed, said Acsa.
The impacted systems are as follows (at the time of publishing):
- While most check-in systems are fully operational, Lift Airlines continues to process passengers manually.
- Border Management Authority and customs are still using manual systems to process international arrivals. Travellers should expect extended wait times.
- Baggage processing is still being manually processed. Delays in baggage delivery are expected.
International arrivals corridor closed
Acsa reported that the international arrivals corridor remained closed.
Travellers should follow signage to reach a temporary Meet & Greet area, located on the ground floor of the international terminal.
Passengers who were unable to collect their luggage on Tuesday may retrieve their bags at the Northern side of the temporary Meet & Greet entrance. Acsa advises passengers to contact their airline’s ground-handling agent before arriving.
“We would like to thank our passengers, airline partners and stakeholders for their patience. We extend our sincere thanks to the emergency response teams for their swift and professional action,” said Ofentse Dijoe, Acsa Group spokesperson.
“Updates will be issued as more information becomes available from the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire.”
