Cape Town International Airport is operating mostly normally today after a fire yesterday caused severe disruptions, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
The blaze broke out at approximately 11:15 on Tuesday in a section of the terminal building, knocking out power and internet systems across the airport.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said on Wednesday that airline check-in systems were operational, with the exception of Lift Airlines, which remained on manual processing. Power had been fully restored by Tuesday evening, though some systems were still being reinstated.
The Border Management Authority, customs and baggage handling continued to operate manually, which may result in delays for international arriving passengers.
“Technical teams are still hard at work to reinstate systems that are still being restored,” ACSA said.
Tuesday’s fire was extinguished shortly after being reported, but sections of the international terminal affected by smoke had to be evacuated as a precaution. Patrons at an on-site restaurant were among those cleared from the building.
The incident brought airport operations to a halt, forcing international departures to be suspended and leaving passengers unable to check in as network and IT services, including Wi-Fi and essential systems, failed.
Travellers crowded the terminal floor as staff scrambled to switch to manual operations, with witnesses reporting little official communication about what was happening.
Several international flights were affected, with some arrivals diverted to other airports whilst departures were suspended for a period.
Passengers were advised to allow additional time at the airport and to check directly with their airline or the ACSA mobile app for the latest flight updates.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear and no official explanation has been provided. ACSA said preliminary investigations were under way.
There were no reports of injuries.
The current status is as follows:
- International Departures: Operations have resumed. However, due to the earlier suspension, passengers should expect delays and schedule adjustments.
- International Arrivals: Some flights were diverted during the incident. Passengers are urged to confirm arrival statuses directly with their airlines.
- Domestic Flights: Both arrivals and departures experienced minor disruptions due to system outages. Delays may persist as operations stabilise.
- Important advice for passengers is to avoid unnecessary congestion at the terminal, all passengers are strongly encouraged to:
- Check the ACSA App for real-time updates.
- Contact your airline directly to confirm flight status before travelling to the airport.
