Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), a state-owned company, said on Friday that there had been a “systems failure” at OR Tambo International Airport that disrupting flights.
OR Tambo is South Africa’s busiest airport, and a hub for the Southern African region.
ATNS said the system failure on Friday — a busy day for the airport — was affecting air traffic control operations, specifically the flight plan management system. Update: The problem was resolved at 5pm.
It didn’t immediately specify what caused the failure. “As a result, operational disruptions are occurring, and departure delays are expected,” the company said in a statement.
“ATNS is working closely with all relevant stakeholders to manage the situation and minimise the impact on passengers and airline operations,” it said.
“We wish to reassure the public and aviation partners that all safety protocols are being strictly followed to ensure the safe management of air traffic and the swift restoration of the affected systems.”
The impact appeared to be widespread, with FlySafair posting on social media on Friday that the “technical difficulties” at the airport were “resulting in delays across all airlines”.
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One passenger took to X to complain that he’d been sitting on a FlySafair flight since 11.30am. “FlySafair flight number 240 has been stuck since 11.30 this morning at OR Tambo International Airport on the runway. ORTIA ATC system is reportedly offline. Passengers on board have not received water or food. There is no aircon as well,” the passenger posted shortly before 3pm. — (c) 2025 NewsCentral Media
- In an update issued at 7.30pm on Friday, ATNS said: “ATNS is pleased to inform all stakeholders that the system failure reported at OR Tambo International Airport, which affected air traffic control operations, has been resolved at 5pm and operations have returned to normal.”
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