South Africa’s Biggest Airport Is Buckling and the World Is About to Arrive

With only days before global leaders descend on Johannesburg for the G20 summit, OR Tambo International Airport, the country’s busiest and most important gateway is fighting off mounting crises that airlines say are eroding confidence in South Africa’s aviation backbone.

From water cuts to power failures, broken machinery and long-standing security risks, the airport is showing cracks at the worst possible time. Staff and airline insiders paint a picture of a facility lurching from one operational failure to another, while Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) insists the situation is under control.

Sunday’s Breakdown: A ‘Horrendous’ Day on the Ground

By Sunday, staff had already lost count of the disruptions.

“It was another horrendous day,” one airline employee told The Citizen, describing how check-ins collapsed, baggage systems froze and offices were plunged into darkness. “We left bags behind again. It’s the third outage in a week.”

Photos shared on social media showed scenes usually associated with a budget-strapped rural airstrip not Africa’s top airport. Baggage scanners sat offline, queues wrapped through terminal corridors, and staff were forced into manual searches to keep passengers moving.

Acsa spokesperson Ofentse Dijoe confirmed the outages, blaming faults with Ekurhuleni’s power supply. He said generators kick in within a minute and systems resume within ten minutes.

But airlines say that’s far from the truth.

Airlines Push Back: ‘It Takes Far Longer and the Gaps Are Huge’

Several carriers say recovery often stretches well beyond Acsa’s assurances. A senior airline source said some systems take hours to stabilise, and the limited generator capacity leaves critical areas exposed.

Cargo facilities were reportedly left vulnerable, with a security insider warning that lax access control during outages creates room for breaches.

For passengers, the problems are just as visible: escalators, travelators and even air bridges frequently sit out of service, sometimes for weeks at a time. Water outages have created another layer of chaos, affecting restrooms, cleaning cycles and airport hygiene.

A damaged perimeter fence unrepaired for more than three years has become symbolic of what many see as a broader maintenance collapse.

Acsa insists the fence “has no bearing on operations,” but aviation security experts strongly disagree, calling it a glaring risk for an international hub.

R21 Billion Upgrade Promised, But Confidence Is Fading Fast

Acsa maintains that downtime across the airport is low and points to a R21 billion upgrade programme already underway. The plan, spanning everything from modernised terminals to improved safety systems is meant to reposition OR Tambo as a world-class facility.

But industry insiders argue upgrades mean little when the basics are failing.

“Outages shouldn’t be routine,” said one airline safety officer. “You can’t run a global airport on hope and diesel.”

Fuel supply is also a sore point. Dijoe denies any shortages, saying critical systems remained active even during power failures. But airlines recall severe shortages as recently as December and January. Meanwhile, Cape Town International Airport is currently in the middle of its own fuel crisis, raising fears of broader systemic issues in the country’s aviation supply chain.

Delays Now Stretch Across Entire Days

Airline staff say repeated disruptions are no longer isolated events, they create ripple effects that throw entire schedules into disarray.

“Delays cascade across the day,” one airline operations manager said. “By mid-afternoon, you’re already too far behind to recover.”

These delays don’t just inconvenience travellers, they cost airlines millions, place crew scheduling under pressure, and jeopardise international connections, especially for long-haul carriers with tight turnarounds.

The World Is Watching and the Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

Transport Ministry spokesperson Collen Msibi says Minister Barbara Creecy is focused on ensuring accountability. But airlines say warnings about infrastructure failure have been raised “for years,” with little meaningful change.

On social media, South Africans voiced embarrassment and anger.
“G20 is coming and our main airport is literally falling apart,” one user wrote.
Another added: “If this is the gateway to SA, what does it say about the rest?”

The reality is unavoidable: as South Africa prepares to showcase itself on a global stage, its most important port of entry is struggling to keep the lights on sometimes literally.

A Country With Ambition, An Airport Running Out of Time

For OR Tambo, the next few days are more than a logistical challenge. They are a test of South Africa’s ability to deliver reliability at a time when the world’s eyes will be fixed on Gauteng.

If the outages continue, airlines warn they may have no choice but to escalate their concerns, risking not just embarrassment, but long-term reputational damage.

The G20 attendees may be arriving soon, but for OR Tambo, the countdown has already begun.

{Source: The Citizen}

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