The Russian IIyushin IL-76 cargo landed in Upington with a full load of cargo and departed later with an empty cargo hold.
A Russian cargo plane, listed on the US black list due to suspicious flights laden with a heavy load of cargo, had permission to land in South Africa, the Department of Transport said.
The Russian IIyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft belonging to Moscow-based Abakan Air landed in Upington in the Northern Cape on Thursday with a full load of cargo and departed later with an empty cargo hold.
Questions
After departing Upington, it later stopped for fuel at Lanseria Airport for fuel, according to City Press.
A question has been raised about what the plane was carrying when it landed in South Africa.
Permission to land
Department of Transport (DoT) spokesperson Collen Msibi told The Citizen that Abakan Air applied for a foreign operator’s permit.
“I can confirm that Abakan Air applied for a foreign operator’s permit on 09 September 2025. It was issued on 23 September 2025. The purpose was to transport general cargo, civilian helicopters, and acrobatic aeroplanes.
“It must also be noted that the South African government has not blacklisted the operator. Furthermore, we have no knowledge or receipt of any information from any other Government that this operator has been blacklisted,” Msibi said.
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Black list
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Russian cargo airline Abakan Air for sanctions in June 2024, citing the company’s role in transporting Russian military equipment.
The sanctions applied to the airline and its aircraft, which include the Ilyushin Il-76.
The last flight visible on Flightradar24 (FR24) for the aircraft indicated that, before its long flight to South Africa via Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, it had been in Iran for a considerable time.
These operators regularly switch off their transponders so they are not visible on applications like FR24.
On its website, Abakan Air stated that it holds a special Russian licence for transporting cargo and radioactive substances, as approved by the Federal Air Transport Agency.
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