
Johannesburg – The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced that a malfunctioning valve, which obstructed aircraft refueling at OR Tambo International Airport, led to disruptions that impacted 177 flights and 22,073 passengers.
In a statement, ACSA extended its “unreserved apologies to all stakeholders and the public” for the flight interruptions that occurred at OR Tambo Airport on Monday, (9 December 2024).
The disruptions took place between 09:05 and 12:35, with refueling resuming at 13:01 following manual intervention to open the valve.
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The technical issues relating to refueling have been resolved, and normal operations have resumed.
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According to ACSA, “This disruption directly affected approximately 177 flights and 22,073 passengers during the 09:05 to 13:01 time frame when flights were able to resume.”
“The ripple effect of this four-hour delay continued to affect numerous flights and passengers between 13:00 and 23:00 as the backlog was managed.
“Overall, the impact on the ACSA network included 483 flights and 49,429 passengers, which encompassed 31 cancellations for the day.
“This incident occurred amid an estimated total of 1,500 flights and 110,000 passengers typically processed daily through ACSA’s network.”
ACSA indicated that roughly one-third of the flights were affected, impacting nearly half of the daily passenger volume.
“The disruption was caused by a fractured drive shaft, as depicted in the image below,” the statement explained.

On further investigation, ACSA clarified that the damaged drive shaft caused a valve malfunction, obstructing the transfer of jet fuel from the storage tank.
The repairs were successfully completed at 13:00 on Monday, restoring the system to its normal functioning capacity.
“An emergency valve replacement is being coordinated to ensure the reliability of this component in the future,” the statement highlighted.
“The OR Tambo International Airport fuel infrastructure is undergoing a significant approved capital program that encompasses refurbishment and capacity-related projects, which are at various stages of implementation.
“The total projected value of these projects is R1.5 billion.”
ACSA noted that following the last incident two years ago involving a main fuel valve failure, the valve was replaced, and operations resumed accordingly.
“The lessons learned from this incident suggested that a thorough overhaul of the entire system was necessary,” the statement remarked.
“This undertaking required considerable time to comply with regulatory standards, including securing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval.”
Additionally, ACSA indicated that the bypass mechanism also necessitated the approval of the Approved Inspection Authority (AIA), “both of which extended the timeline significantly.”
In mid-2024, the airport implemented a tank configuration modification to allow for larger fuel volumes from the coastal pipeline.
ACSA reported that additional ongoing projects aim to enhance reliability and provide redundancy within the fuel system.
These projects feature:
- A new 20-inch jet fuel line spanning 1.8 km from the tank farm to the aprons, with construction slated to begin in March 2025, and completion expected by March 2026.
- A bypass mechanism for added redundancy, currently being implemented and measuring approximately 9 meters in length, anticipated to be completed by February 2025.
The ACSA Board is set to conduct a detailed investigation into this incident, producing a report that outlines the root causes and the appropriate corrective actions as new and replacement jet fuel lines are developed.
ACSA noted that a preliminary incident report is being prepared, pending laboratory analysis of the metal fragments by the Engineering Team, to ascertain the cause of the drive shaft failure.
This analysis will serve as the basis for a comprehensive investigation by the ACSA Board.
“I am pleased to share that the refueling issues have been addressed, and the airport has resumed normal operations since yesterday afternoon,” stated ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu.
“The operational backlog resulting from this incident has been effectively resolved, and flights are back on schedule.”
ACSA emphasized that media reports concerning a disaster unfolding at OR Tambo International Airport due to the refueling issue were overstated.
“We are ready to welcome tourists, families, business travelers, and visitors to our beautiful country and facilitate their connections,” ACSA expressed.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate your understanding and patience.”