Passengers wheel their luggage inside the departures terminal at Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. South Africa announced the discovery of a new variant, later named omicron, on Nov. 25 as cases began to spike and the strain spread across the globe, with many countries halting flights to and from southern Africa. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg
Passengers wheel their luggage inside the departures terminal at Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. South Africa announced the discovery of a new variant, later named omicron, on Nov. 25 as cases began to spike and the strain spread across the globe, with many countries halting flights to and from southern Africa. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg

Cape Town flights continue despite fuel shortage at airport

Cape Town flights are arriving and departing as scheduled, despite a fuel shortage at South Africa’s second-largest airport.
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By Rene Vollgraaff

(Bloomberg) – Cape Town flights are arriving and departing as scheduled, despite a fuel shortage at South Africa's second-largest airport.

After asking airlines on Monday to limit their fuel intake in Cape Town, Airports Company South Africa said on Twitter Tuesday that it has a contingency plan to tackle the issue.

https://twitter.com/Airports_ZA/status/1574678171240185857

The airport only has a few days of jet fuel left after a shipment that was due to arrive last week was delayed by more than seven days, Mark Maclean, regional general manager of the Cape Town International Airport, said in an interview with broadcaster eNCA. The cargo is now expected to arrive by Oct. 2 or Oct. 3, he said.

https://twitter.com/eNCA/status/1574696807761854466

Limiting flights into Cape Town could dent a recovery in tourism to the city and the Western Cape province from the effects of Covid-19 and associated lockdowns, just as the southern hemisphere's summer gets underway. Prices of domestic air tickets have surged after the collapse of Comair Ltd., the South African partner of British Airways and owner of low-cost carrier Kulula, which operated about 40% of local flights.

–With assistance from Foster Wong.

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