Espargos Amilcar International Airport Cape Verde (SID)

[DON T]

My return flight to Gatwick was 20 hours late because of fuel problems in SAl.

The reason given was that the ‘tanker in the harbour’ had broken down and the fuel for each aircraft was being rationed. We took off almost on time but it resulted in the aircraft being diverted to Gran Canaria where we night stopped.

Has anybody heard of anything like this before?

[Cloud1]

Yeah there have been issues down there and because it only effects outbound departures flights continue to arrive meaning the hotels fill up. As crew hours are limited on such sectors some flights operated via Las Palmas I think either to refuel or put everyone up overnight (more accommodation there and better than being stuck in SID departures lounge overnight)

[Harry Wayfarers]

Yep, Kalamata in Greece just as one distant memory, the solitary fuel bowser had broken down so no fuel available ... Fortunately, because fuel was so bl00dy expensive there, and I had provided the crew with a max fuel flight plan as a reminder, we tankered in sufficient fuel to make it to ATH and refuel there without crew hours being an issue.

But ... In another life we regularly, as if a scheduled service, put DC8 freighters thru SAL en-route to/from Brazil, two rotations per week, and Sal were very good, never an issue.