Airlines are putting contingency measures in place to protect flights at OR Tambo International Airport after an unplanned shutdown at the Natref refinery affected jet fuel supplies.
Sasol confirmed on Wednesday that a downstream unit at Natref had unexpectedly shut down, affecting its ability to meet full supply commitments across several fuel grades.
Jet fuel supplied to Sasol Oil customers at OR Tambo is among the products affected.
Sasol partially supplying OR Tambo customers
Sasol said it would continue partially supplying its customers at the airport while taking steps to minimise the impact.
The company is also working to restore normal operations at the refinery.
There has been no announcement of widespread flight cancellations linked to the latest disruption so far.
Airlines activate contingency plans
FlySafair has arranged to temporarily increase fuel supplies from alternative providers as part of measures to protect its operations.
The airline does not hedge its fuel costs and has previously estimated that disruptions can add around R35 000 an hour to its flying costs.
Airlink said the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources convened an emergency meeting with Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and the Fuels Industry Association of Southern Africa on Wednesday.
Natref had increased fuel production
The disruption comes weeks after Sasol increased Natref’s production by 76% for the year to June 2026.
Local fuel inventories had also been built up to provide a buffer ahead of a planned maintenance shutdown scheduled for the first quarter of Sasol’s 2027 financial year.
The latest shutdown has once again placed attention on South Africa’s refinery capacity.
South Africa has two operational crude oil refineries
South Africa now has two operational crude oil refineries, Natref and Glencore’s Astron Energy in Cape Town.
Two larger plants permanently closed in 2020 and 2022.
Natref is the country’s only operational inland crude oil refinery, making reliable supply dependent on refinery availability as well as imports and the pipeline and rail networks used to transport fuel from the coast to Gauteng.
OR Tambo has faced previous fuel disruptions
OR Tambo has experienced several fuel-related disruptions in recent years.
A fire at Natref in January 2025 reduced production and forced the industry to find alternative supplies. ACSA moved additional fuel inland from the coast in response.
A month earlier, a separate mechanical failure in OR Tambo’s own fuel system disrupted aircraft refuelling for several hours.
That incident affected 483 flights and resulted in 31 cancellations.
Following those incidents, ACSA introduced redundant fuel systems, reconfigured infrastructure and opened its facilities to more suppliers.
For now, airlines are turning to contingency measures as Sasol works to restore normal operations at Natref.
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