Festive travellers can breath a sigh of relief as ACSA claims to have resolved the fuel shortage at O.R Tambo

ACSA said its technicians had to use manual bowsers to refuel flights after glitches in the supply systems caused delays that left passengers outraged after they had to wait for hours to embark on their scheduled flights,. some which had been due to leave at dawn.

In a statement ACSA said the O.R Tambo international airport was experiencing challenges with fuel supply from the fuel storage facility to the main hydrant system

"O.R Tambo fuel services company (ORTAFS used a manual system through fuel bowsers to fuel the aircrafts. Technicians are on-site and have resolved the issue. They are constantly monitoring the situation. We are currently experiencing delays with domestic departures as well as international departures," ACSA said.

South African Airways also confirmed the delays and said the matter was resolved after 8am.

"The fuel was restored at 082tlt(sic), we are now in recovery mode," an SAA insider said in a circulating message.

Flysafair said it was doing everything possible to minimise the inconvenience caused by O.R Tambo fuel challenges which is affecting flight schedules.

Minister for Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu had quickly stepped in to provide reassurance that government has delegated the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) to attend to the shortage of fuel at the O.R.Tambo International Airport as outraged passengers faced delays from Wednesday morning after flights could not take off.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, Sisulu said the Department had been made aware of the flight delays and would try to work around the clock to have it resolved.

“On behalf of the government I wish to apologise profusely to all affected travellers for the inconvenience experienced. I have been assured that systems are now in place to resolve the delays”, Minister Sisulu said, alluding to "systems being in place to resolve flight delays"

Planes at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg were grounded on Wednesday due to a shortage of fuel caused by a technical problem at the storage facility.

This left passengers waiting for hours for their flights.

At the time of reporting, there had been no certain developments regarding the resolution while passengers said they had waited since dawn for scheduled early flights which did not take off.

Reports were that frustrated passengers scheduled to depart for Cape Town shortly before 6am were still in the plane two hours later and they were told to , but after two hours sitting in the plane, they were told to get off to get food and stretch.

"It has been four hours and we were told to return because they managed to secure fuel from the supplier,' a passenger said.

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