South Africa Gave Flight Permit to US-Sanctioned Russian Company

South Africa issued a flight permit to a Russian aircraft operator sanctioned by the US, saying it was unaware that the company had been blacklisted.

An Abakan Air cargo plane, blacklisted last year by the US for transporting Russian military equipment, landed in South Africa with a heavy load on Thursday, according to Rapport. The aircraft flew to Upington in the Northern Cape province, via Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, before refueling at Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg and departing the country with an empty hold, the website reported, citing data from FlightRadar24.