By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) says it has noted multiple media reports about British Petroleum (BP) ceasing to supply jet fuel for airports in SA.
The company said, “we can confirm that BP started officially engaging ACSA more than a year ago in February 2022. At the time, BP indicated their intention to exit the current arrangements”.
ACSA says the exit of the fuel giant was due to its current global business strategy and not Russia’s war in Ukraine, or an incident last year where two Russian planes could not refuel at OR Tambo due to international sanctions.
“Later in April 2022 the oil company further informed ACSA that it would resign as the managing participant of the consortia at O.R Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International and terminate its lease agreements for the operations of the fuel facilities at King Phalo and George Airports.”
ACSA says it has already started the process of finding new fuel suppliers and has notified all the airlines about the exit.
“As BP continues to wind down its operations they have collaborated and assisted ACSA and the Fuel Consortium to successfully transition to new jet fuel suppliers, and this will be done across ACSA’s airports to ensure business continuity,” they say.
“This is done through licence agreements with oil companies. The relevant oil companies who have concluded their agreements are bound by Regulation (NERSA Licenses) to ensure business continuity through the transition to incoming suppliers and operators.
“ACSA and oil companies are progressing well with the implementation of these transitionary arrangements.”
In a statement earlier this week BP Southern Africa head of communications and external affairs Hamlet Morule said the decision to exit all its aviation activities in SA was based on its current global business strategy.
Morule said that “as part of good business practice, Air BP reviews its portfolio on a continuous basis. In the light of its latest review, a decision was taken to exit all of BP’s aviation activities, as operator at the airports, and direct supplier to airlines, in SA.