Disrupts Flights, Sparks Passenger Frustration
Reporter – George April
Cape Town:- A fire broke out at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) on Tuesday, temporarily halting international departures and causing widespread delays for both domestic and international travellers.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) confirmed the incident occurred on the landside of the airport, suspected to be linked to an electrical or IT cable fault. The blaze was quickly contained and extinguished, with no injuries reported and all passengers, staff, and visitors confirmed safe.
“As a precautionary measure, international departures were temporarily suspended, and incoming international flights were diverted,” ACSA stated. “The incident affected certain network and IT services, including baggage handling and check-in systems.”
Passengers described hours of confusion and limited communication from airport authorities, with some stranded in terminals as operations slowly resumed. Domestic flights also experienced knock-on delays.
Power has since been fully restored, and technical teams continue to work on full system recovery. Travellers are advised to check with their airlines and the ACSA app for the latest updates.
The fire comes on the same day as a separate major blaze in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay, where firefighters contained a vegetation and dwelling fire, with one crew member sustaining minor facial burns.
No further details on the airport incident’s cause have been released, but authorities emphasised passenger safety as the top priority.
