Bad weather grounds planes
2007-11-17 15:23
Johannesburg - Stormy weather wrought havoc at OR Tambo International airport on Friday, delaying flights and inconveniencing passengers, the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) said on Saturday.
"There were 163 (plane) delays on arrivals, and a further 215 delays on departure," ACSA spokesperson Tasniem Patel said.
She said the bad weather had affected visibility, and disrupted air traffic control because of problems with the radar.
Three South African Airways flights, arriving to OR Tambo International, had to be diverted to other airports.
"Flights coming from Cape Town and Mauritius had to diverted to Durban International, and another arrival from East London, had to land at Lanseria airport," said SAA spokesperson Sarah Uys.
Two other planes scheduled to travel to Durban, were grounded at the airport overnight.
Dave Sleeps, a passenger on the flight to Durban who was forced to stay overnight at the airport, described the incident as frustrating.
"Nobody told us about what was happening... All we could do was sit and monitor the screens - telling us that our flight had been delayed, and then cancelled. SAA did not even provide accommodation," Sleeps said.
Uys said she apologised for the inconvenience caused by SAA.
"I apologise on behalf of the SAA team leaders who should have informed passengers about the flight cancellations," Uys said.
- SAPA