Well I just got back from FAJS after being stuck there for 4 hours or so due to the chaos.
Irrespective of what happened there needs to be some serious investigation and some serious ass kicked.
The fact is that the A346 landed and could not make E and had to get onto 34 to get into L and then cross runway 01 and then onto E into the apron. In the process the crew had to make a 150deg turn from 01 right into 34 - must be quite a thing in a A346. 27F a 180 on the runway is not an option with a A346 - maybe a B738 but not an airbus
This is due to ACSA closing taxiway A into the apron from the north. It is high time that someone/thing important had a good look at what ACSA is doing at FACT. They are over 6 months behind with their apron rehabilitation and as we enter the busy season they still have several gates that cannot be used. And they have allowed airlines to fly here, putting a premium on the avail gates. Now on top of this they close off one of the access's to the apron after they have just closed E for weeks. It really is a pathetic and tired effort from ACSA. They wait to the busy season to do the work.
Fact is that they should never have been allowed to close A taxiway until they had painted some lines on the runway so a/c could make the right turn.
The resulting chaos around the country was quite impressive to say the least. ACSA made no announcements @ FAJS and no-one knew what was going on - they did not endear themselves to the passengers there, that was for sure and ask me I was stuck in it all!!!
They have now given us the COMPLETION date for the new runway 18/36 which will be east of the main runway and go through the thr of 34 which will close that runway for good! It is going to be complete by the end of 2009 - we just wonder when they are going to start it. (Oh and I wonder what they are going to do to the helicopter customers - where they going to train when 34 aint there??)
Best statement of all this afternoon was the airport manager who wanted to know why a/c could not take off runway 19 from E!!!!!!!!!!!! The wind was 330/20 - does this a
hole have any idea how an airport works and how a/c use runways? I still cannot believe after how ever many YEARS he has been at FACT, he has NEVER put foot in the tower complex and come and see how ATC works and the problems we have - which are compounded by the chaos around the apron at the moment.
I sympathise with the crew - had ACSA painted the lines at the runway intersection, this would not have happened - the crew had to guess where they were and they just slipped off the runway - I sincerely hope SAA take ACSA to task. And stop blaming the crew - the real cause of the incident is ACSA not doing their job properly.
One wonders if ACSA has a quality management system - if they did they would have identified this as a potential problem and addressed it before it is too late. But with a bunch of Wallies in charge of ACSA at FACT, what do you really expect? This also illustrates the urgent need to keep 16/34 open - one incident on the main runway and no one can move into and out of the Cape. We also need someone from ACSA that can make a decision - it was pathetic trying to get anyone there to make a decision.