South Africa’s airports have found a new supplier that can provide jet fuel to maintain their busy flight schedules without interruptions.
This is according to Mineral Resources and Petroleum Minister Gwede Mantashe, who declared in a media briefing on Thursday afternoon (23 January) that PetroSA will be able to send jet fuel to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International following a disruption to its main supplier.
While O.R. Tambo is the primary concern, it is not the only airport affected by the shortages with ACSA declaring it to be a nationwide issue, according to eNCA.
Working on a solution
The country’s biggest airport is currently facing a fuel crisis following a fire that broke out at the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref) refinery on 4 January 2025.
Natref is responsible for approximately 72% of the jet fuel that reaches O.R. Tambo, creating a significant shortage that threatens to disrupt local and international scheduled flights.
Following the initial announcement, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) confirmed that it had been able to secure enough supply for O.R. Tambo for January but that it was still working on plans to acquire sufficient reserves for February.
As of 22 January, the airport had roughly 27.1 million litres of jet fuel on hand and uses about 3.6 million litres a day, meaning that its current reserves will only last until the first week of February.
However, Mantashe is now claiming that state-owned entity PetroSA will be able to supply the air traffic hub once its reserves run low, reported News24.
This is despite the fact that the company has not been awarded supply deals with large airports such as O.R. Tambo.
“PetroSA has not folded its arms. It is intervening to supply jet fuel in the interim to actually ensure that there is no collapse of jet fuel supply,” said the minister.
Mantashe also stated that this should be taken as a consideration for PetroSA to become a major supplier for the nation’s airports going forward, claiming that ACSA sought his department’s assistance even though PetroSA does not have access to sites like O.R. Tambo.
“If [PetroSA] is not allowed to do business normally and supply jet fuel to major airports, it cannot be expected to supply jet fuel when there is a crisis,” said the minister.
At present, the state-owned entity, which is technically insolvent, has only been permitted to supply two smaller flight centres in George and East London.
Mantashe insists that contingency plans have been put in place and that the department is working with stakeholders including the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa, ACSA, and Transnet to bring jet fuel from the coast to inland airports, with the lion’s share being allocated to Joburg’s air traffic centre.
PetroSA’s primary refinery is in Mossel Bay, which has been idle since 2021 after it ran out of offshore gas for its synthetic fuel production cycle.
The company now imports fuel to supply its clients.
Natref’s repairs, meanwhile, are expected to be completed by the end of February, which should return operations to normal at South Africa’s major airports.
Loading ...