Avgas pinch grounds small planes across the region

THE shortage of aviation fuel in Namibia continues to worsen following the shutdown of a refinery in Durban, South Africa.

Since The Namibian broke a story on the pending Avgas shortage in February, the going has been tough for operators of small piston-engine aircraft. The situation is not unique to Namibia – South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are also said to be affected by the shortage of Avgas.The shortage started at the end of last year when most South African refineries shut down for upgrades to produce cleaner fuel.It is said that there are currently only four refineries in the world that produce the high-octane fuel commonly known as Avgas.Tour operators and companies that own fleets of small aircraft – normally used for tourism, pilot training and sightseeing – admitted that the Avgas shortage was causing logistical problems.A number of tour operators are in a quandary, as business has ground to a halt because of the lack of fuel.The Namibian learnt this when it conducted separate interviews with tour operators yesterday.Dene Herselman, co-owner of Scenic Air, said the company’s last aircraft with fuel would fly today after the rest of the fleet of 14 planes they operate were grounded due to the shortage.She said the company had alerted customers of the situation but was seeking alternative means whenever possible, like using road transport.Herselman said her company would lose almost N$1 million a month.Echoing these sentiments was Thys Rall, the Managing Director of Desert Air.He summed up the situation as “a catastrophe”.Rall said 10 of their 12 aircraft were currently standing idle.He said the other two were turboprops that ran on JetA1 fuel and were handling business in the meantime, but he added that the two planes could not cope with the demand.He could not give an estimate of how much the company stood to lose.The Chairman of the Tours & Safari Association of Namibia, Dave van Smeerdijk, said many of Tasa’s members were affected by the Avgas shortage.”A lot of our members are using Avgas and have been affected drastically to the point where there is no fuel and they can’t fly,” he said.Van Smeerdijk said the alternative of using light turbine aircraft was very costly, adding that the current situation was bad news for the tourism industry as a whole.One of the country’s main suppliers of Avgas, BP Namibia, earlier this year warned customers of the pending shortage and is currently sourcing the fuel from around the world.BP Namibia’s Corporate Affairs Manager Esther Hoveka said a ship carrying Avgas would arrive at Durban on April 16, while another would follow from the United States and arrive at Durban on May 6.The fuel should reach Namibia within a week after its arrival in South Africa.She said Avgas demand worldwide was relatively small compared to the market for jet fuel used by more modern and bigger planes.In the meantime, all airports in southern Africa will be hard hit by the Avgas shortage.The situation is not unique to Namibia – South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are also said to be affected by the shortage of Avgas. The shortage started at the end of last year when most South African refineries shut down for upgrades to produce cleaner fuel.It is said that there are currently only four refineries in the world that produce the high-octane fuel commonly known as Avgas.Tour operators and companies that own fleets of small aircraft – normally used for tourism, pilot training and sightseeing – admitted that the Avgas shortage was causing logistical problems.A number of tour operators are in a quandary, as business has ground to a halt because of the lack of fuel.The Namibian learnt this when it conducted separate interviews with tour operators yesterday.Dene Herselman, co-owner of Scenic Air, said the company’s last aircraft with fuel would fly today after the rest of the fleet of 14 planes they operate were grounded due to the shortage.She said the company had alerted customers of the situation but was seeking alternative means whenever possible, like using road transport.Herselman said her company would lose almost N$1 million a month.Echoing these sentiments was Thys Rall, the Managing Director of Desert Air.He summed up the situation as “a catastrophe”.Rall said 10 of their 12 aircraft were currently standing idle.He said the other two were turboprops that ran on JetA1 fuel and were handling business in the meantime, but he added that the two planes could not cope with the demand.He could not give an estimate of how much the company stood to lose.The Chairman of the Tours & Safari Association of Namibia, Dave van Smeerdijk, said many of Tasa’s members were affected by the Avgas shortage.”A lot of our members are using Avgas and have been affected drastically to the point where there is no fuel and they can’t fly,” he said.Van Smeerdijk said the alternative of using light turbine aircraft was very costly, adding that the current situation was bad news for the tourism industry as a whole.One of the country’s main suppliers of Avgas, BP Namibia, earlier this year warned customers of the pending shortage and is currently sourcing the fuel from around the world.BP Namibia’s Corporate Affairs Manager Esther Hoveka said a ship carrying Avgas would arrive at Durban on April 16, while another would follow from the United States and arrive at Durban on May 6.The fuel should reach Namibia within a week after its arrival in South Africa.She said Avgas demand worldwide was relatively small compared to the market for jet fuel used by more modern and bigger planes.In the meantime, all airports in southern Africa will be hard hit by the Avgas shortage.