In a matter not related to the Satawu strike action, a water pipe in the international departures terminal at O.R. Tambo International Airport burst on Monday, 27 October 2003. The burst pipe resulted in the closure of 18 out of the 104 check-in desks in the departures terminal. The pipe was quickly sealed while mop-up operations began. Departing passengers were re-directed to an alternate search point while the area was cleaned. The check-in desks that had been water damaged were re-opened by 16h00. No passengers queues or flight delays resulted from the burst pipe and all operations were back to normal for the peak evening traffic.
Meanwhile, two international flights (Iberia IB 6050 and Air France AF995) were last night delayed at O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA). Both were initially delayed by technical problems however, by the time they were ready to depart, the main runway at ORTIA had been closed for scheduled runway maintenance. The Iberia flight will depart this evening while the Air France flight departed this morning. The delays were not caused by the water pipe burst or the Satawu strike. -ENDS-
