United was forced to cancel its Newark-Cape Town service on Sunday after failing to source jet fuel for the return journey. Passengers were informed that the October 2nd flight would not go ahead, with the return leg hampered as well. The news comes as Cape Town Airport struggles to meet airline demand amid a growing jet fuel shortage.

One flight canceled

According to News24, United axed its Sunday night UA1122 service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Originally scheduled to depart at 20:25, passengers were reportedly told that the flight was canceled "because we [United] were unable to fuel your plane." While the status could change in the next few hours, it is unlikely to do so.

Naturally, UA1123 from CPT to EWR has also been canceled for October 3rd, with the status of the next flight also unknown. On Saturday, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) issued a notice to restrict fuel uplifts and warning of further delays to the arrival of future shipments. As of Thursday, ACSA said it has four days of fuel remaining, putting the United right at the limit.

Notably, KLM's return flight on Sunday night has also been canceled. While KL597 will land later tonight, KL598 has been canceled for unknown reasons. It's unclear if this also has to do with a fuel shortage or perhaps a technical error since the inbound flight would have been canceled if no fuel was available in CPT.

Fuel running short

Sources say that ACSA is waiting on a shipment of jet fuel that has been delayed for over a week due to weather delays. Without this, Cape Town might be forced to stop offering any fuel to inbound airlines, triggering extra stops and halted routes. On Friday, domestic airlines were told they can only receive 50% of their usual orders at CPT to preserve resources through the coming days.

Passengers have been told to keep an eye out for their flight status in the next few days. However, the hope is that the latest fuel shipment will arrive late on Sunday, allowing operations to stabilize once more.

While domestic airlines might be able to carry enough fuel for roundtrip flights, this is harder or impossible for long-haul routes, which are filled near to the brim for flights. With flights from Asia, Europe, and new North American routes just weeks away, everyone is hoping that Cape Town can end fuel rationing and return to regular operations.

Lots of change

South African aviation is in the middle of some exciting and tough times. Recent days have seen South African Airways ax 20 routes due to a smaller fleet, leaving fewer international routes. However, FlySafair also took delivery of its 25th Boeing 737 along with a full rebranding for the first time. To cater to the rebounding demand, Emirates is pushing ahead with extra services to Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. Once the issues are over, South Africa is looking like it's on its way to a full recovery.