Goldfish Jack, looks like your statement made the news in the newspapers.
5 November 2007: Cape Argus
Pilots blame Acsa for Cape Town runway mixup
The Airports Company of South Africa will not launch an investigation into the incident that grounded all flight operations in Cape Town for hours on Friday, despite assertions by pilots that the state-owned parastatal was to blame.
A South African Airways flight lodged its front wheels in soft sand while taxiing off the runaway, at Cape Town International on Friday. This caused Acsa to shut down the busy airport to incoming and outgoing flights for close to three hours.
The Cape Argus's sister newspaper, the Weekend Argus, reported on Sunday that a number of pilots had blamed Acsa for the incident.
Commenting on a website for professional pilots, they said there should have been painted lines on the runway to assist the pilot of flight SA333 from Johannesburg with her turn.
One pilot wrote on the website: "I sympathise with the crew. Had Acsa painted the lines at the runway intersection, this would not have happened. The real cause of the incident is Acsa not doing their job properly."
He added: "Irrespective of what happened there needs to be a serious investigation."
Deidre Hendricks, Acsa spokesperson, on Sunday said the airport management company would not be launching an investigation.
"Such occurrences do happen from time to time. Our focus on Friday was to ensure the resumption of airport operations. If you want details around the incident that happened you need to speak to SAA," Hendricks said.
Despite persistent questions from the Cape Argus around why Acsa did not see fit to launch an investigation into an incident that crippled South Africa's second major international airport, Hendricks refused to answer.
Robyn Chalmers, the SAA group head of corporate affairs, confirmed the airline would launch an investigation into Friday's incident.
"The safety of our passengers is paramount, so it is normal practice for SAA to investigate any incidents that may occur. SAA will investigate the cause of the incident the aircraft has also undergone a thorough inspection and no damage was found as a result of the incident," she said