Storms: SAA plane ‘was close to running out of fuel’
· Citizen
A South African Airways (SAA) flight allegedly came dangerously close to fuel exhaustion after diverting twice during last Monday’s violent Cape storm, before eventually landing safely in Gqeberha.
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Flight SA313 from Johannesburg to Cape Town on 11 May encountered severe weather while attempting to land in Cape Town, where gale-force north-westerly winds, heavy rain and low cloud forced numerous aircraft to abandon landing attempts.
According to aviation sources familiar with the incident, concerns emerged onboard as the diversion sequence unfolded and fuel reserves diminished.
FlyAfrica private Facebook group curator Duncan Gillespie, an experienced airline pilot with more than 5 000 hours in command of Airbus aircraft, said the Airbus A320 conducted a missed approach over Cape Town after receiving a windshear alert from the onboard aircraft systems during its arrival. Like many other aircraft operating into Cape Town that day, the plane was unable to land safely.
Storm havoc in Cape Town
Gillespie said a second approach attempt would have left the aircraft without sufficient fuel reserves to divert to George, which had reportedly been nominated as the alternate airport.
The aircraft subsequently diverted to George, but worsening weather conditions there allegedly prevented an approach and landing.
“The weather in George was inclement, too. Even in an emergency, you couldn’t approach the runway because the weather was completely out of limits,” Gillespie said.
The aircraft eventually continued to Gqeberha, where, according to Gillespie, it allegedly landed with fuel reserves below standard minimums, to all accounts, less than 15 minutes of fuel remaining in the tanks.
Under international civil aviation regulations, commercial aircraft are generally required to land with a final reserve of fuel, typically sufficient for approximately 30 minutes of flight at holding speed.
Should projected landing fuel fall below that threshold, crews are obliged to declare a fuel emergency.
A fuel emergency had to be declared
Gillespie said there was no indication on public flight-tracking systems that the aircraft had used the emergency transponder code commonly associated with Mayday status.
Had the emergency transponder code been selected, the aircraft would have appeared as an emergency aircraft on public flight-tracking platforms, he said.
SAA spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini did not directly answer detailed questions from The Citizen regarding the alleged fuel emergency, diversion sequence, remaining fuel after landing, whether a Mayday was declared, or whether the operating crew had been removed from flying duties pending any investigation.
Instead, Dlamini said: “On the 11th of May 2026, severe weather conditions affected the Western Cape and SAA flying into Cape Town International Airport was also affected, just like all other flights.
“In response, SAA followed all relevant and required policies and procedures as per standard aviation safety and incident reporting and investigation protocols.”
Representatives of the South African Civil Aviation Authority had also not responded to questions by the time of publication, despite having indicated they would. The article will be updated should a response be furnished.
Questions sent to the regulator included whether international aviation regulations require crews to declare an emergency when projected landing fuel falls below 30 minutes, whether SACAA’s incident division held any record of a Mayday or fuel emergency linked to SA313, and whether the authority intended to investigate the incident.
CAA yet to respond
The authority previously declined to make other incidents relating to SAA public.
Gillespie described the alleged fuel minimum incident as comparable in seriousness to a 2023 FlySafair incident in Durban.
Flight FA268 from Johannesburg to Durban plunged near King Shaka International Airport during a go-around attempt to land. The Boeing 737 descended to around 105m above ground level at more than 637km/h, narrowly clearing Mount Edgecombe and the M41 freeway.
SAA has faced scrutiny over several serious operational incidents in recent years.
In February 2021, an SAA Airbus A340-600 en route to Brussels to collect Covid-19 vaccines experienced an “alpha floor” event shortly after take-off from OR Tambo International Airport. The aircraft allegedly came close to stalling before automated systems intervened.
In April 2022, an SAA Airbus A330-300 flying from Accra to Johannesburg experienced engine surges after alleged fuel contamination in Ghana. Critics questioned why passengers remained on board despite concerns about the fuel, while SAA maintained that nobody was ever in danger.