Flights have resumed operations at Cape Town International Airport following a power outage that disrupted services on Sunday. An investigation is currently underway to ascertain the cause of the incident.
On Sunday evening, operations at the airport were halted for
several hours, preventing flights from landing or taking off due to a power
supply failure that impacted runway lighting, airside fire rescue, and air
traffic control services.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) announced at 1 a.m. on
Monday that the runway lighting and navigational systems had been restored,
enabling 11 aircraft to successfully land at the airport.
Ernest Mulibana, a corporate communication strategist at
Acsa, later confirmed on Monday that conditions at the airport had improved
considerably, with flights now able to land and depart, although some technical
issues were still being addressed.
A team of technicians and experts is investigating the cause
of the outage while working on permanent repairs and the restoration of the
airport's network.
"The objective is to resolve this issue as swiftly as
possible, as we are operating within a timeline, and we are still in the
process of determining the exact cause," stated Mulibana.
Mulibana was unable to provide the precise number of flights
that were delayed or canceled. He mentioned that United Airlines, Delta, and
South African Airways flights successfully took off after the runway lights and
navigational aids were restored.
Travelers are advised to download the Acsa mobile app for
real-time flight updates and to stay in touch with their respective airlines
for the latest information.
According to a report by Daily Maverick on Monday, FlySafair
stated in a travel update that their operations center was informed of a power
outage at Cape Town International Airport around 8:30 pm on Sunday.
The airline stated that they are currently in discussions
with Acsa to determine the cause and expected duration of the outage,
emphasizing that all airlines operating to and from the airport are affected.
The airline announced on Monday that flights were disrupted
due to an outage, resulting in the inability of flights to take off or land.
This caused significant operational disruptions for multiple airlines. A total
of eleven FlySafair flights were impacted.
Six flights that were already in the air when the power
failure occurred were redirected to Port Elizabeth, two flights were redirected
to Johannesburg, and the rest were grounded. The sudden increase in flights to
Port Elizabeth, a location not typically prepared to handle such a large volume
of aircraft and passengers, presented a major logistical challenge.
Despite these obstacles, our teams worked diligently to
handle the situation and offer support to affected passengers.
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