Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) says jet fuel supplies across its major airports remain stable despite an unplanned shutdown at the Natref refinery, which could affect Jet A-1 availability from early September.
ACSA said on Friday that it had put measures in place to ensure continued fuel security and minimise any impact on airport operations, following the shutdown of a downstream unit at Natref on 25 August.
Natref supplies between 70% and 80% of the jet fuel demand at OR Tambo International Airport, with the balance supplied through the Multi-Product Pipeline from the coast and dedicated rail deliveries.
ACSA said OR Tambo currently has between five and six days of fuel cover, against average demand of about 3 850 cubic metres a day.
Cape Town International Airport’s supply is also secured, with between 70% and 75% of its jet fuel sourced from the Astron refinery and the remainder supplied through marine imports stored at the Burgan terminal.
ACSA said Cape Town currently has around 4.5 days of fuel cover, with daily replenishments in place. This is expected to increase to about 5.5 days, following the return of a fuel storage tank from planned maintenance on 26 August.
The airport operator said fuel reserves at other airports remain robust.
King Shaka International Airport has approximately 12 days of stock cover, while several other airports, including Chief Dawid Stuurman International, King Phalo, George, Bram Fischer, Kimberley and Upington, have import-backed supply arrangements and maintain at least six days of stock.
ACSA said it was monitoring fuel stocks daily and has set a minimum baseline of five days’ stock at its fuel farms.
The measures come after Natref experienced an unplanned shutdown caused by a steam boiler failure, which damaged key refinery units.
According to the information provided by Sasol to Transnet Pipelines and the Fuel Industry of South Africa, the resulting repair and recommissioning programme is expected to affect refinery production and, in particular, jet fuel availability from around 6 September to 4 October 2026, subject to the successful completion of repairs.
The immediate concern is the security of jet fuel supplies to OR Tambo, with the industry expected to rely more heavily on coastal imports through the Port of Durban during the Natref outage.
ACSA said an integrated industry response was being developed to maintain supplies, including increased coastal jet fuel imports, additional diesel injections, optimisation of Transnet logistics capacity and closer coordination among industry stakeholders.
The company said it would trigger formal crisis management measures if fuel stocks at any airport were expected to fall to three days of cover.
These measures would include closer monitoring of replenishments, direct engagement with affected airlines and activation of ACSA’s Fuel Forum.
The company said it is working with relevant stakeholders to manage the situation proactively and ensure minimal disruption to airport operations.
Sasol and FIASA are expected to submit a formal industry mitigation proposal to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on Monday, 31 August. – SAnews.gov.za
