Flights cancelled after fire breaks out at one of South Africa’s biggest airports – Photos

Operations at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) have been disrupted following the outbreak of a fire on Tuesday, 24 February.

Passengers have been evacuated from the terminal building, and several flights have been cancelled.

The fire broke out this morning at the airport’s office building and a VIP lounge, and has since been contained.

However, many of the airports functions have been affected by the fire, causing flights to be delayed, suspended, and cancelled.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at the gates A4 and A5. Leaked internal communications from airport staff indicate that the fire originated in the Kenya Airways office.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

CTIA confirmed that the fire, which occurred on the landside of the airport, has been extinguished and that all passengers, staff and visitors are safe.

“We understand that this incident may have caused concern, and we urge all passengers and visitors to follow security instructions and proceed to designated places of safety as directed by airport personnel,” it said.

It also confirmed that the fire affected its network and IT services, including Airport Wi-Fi and other essential systems.

All baggage handling has been suspended, and there is considerable smoke damage throughout the building.

Additionally, all electrical and operational systems are offline and there is no estimated restoration time.

The airport stated that all international flights have been temporarily suspended as a cautionary measure. International flights that have already landed will continue to be processed.

Furthermore, CTIA advised passengers travelling on domestic flights, either arriving or departing, to check with their respective airlines for communications as the situation develops.

Travelers can also use the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) mobile app to receive updates on their flight details.

FlySafair has sent SMS communications to affected passengers that read as follows:

“Hi [passenger name], due to long queues at the security checkpoints, please proceed to the boarding gates immediately after check-in.”

“Hi [passenger name], several flights to and from Cape Town International are delayed due to a fire at the terminal building earlier today, which has reduced airport departure capacity. The fire has been extinguished and no injuries were reported. We are assisting passengers as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.”

“There is no plan at the airport to communicate with passengers,  so no preparedness for such an emergency,” one passenger told our sister publication MyBroadband.

The airport’s backup generators didn’t kick in, leaving the terminal building dark, with no power or functioning computers, while thousands of passengers waited in the main hall.

Aftermath of the fire at Cape Town International Airport