Africa-Press – Mozambique. A giant Antonov AN124 cargo plane registered in Russia which had been reportedly stranded at OR Tambo International Airport for a week after the fuel suppliers there refused to fill it up for the flight back to Russia, had flown to Maputo on Monday evening and then left there on Wednesday, aviation and diplomatic sources said, reads a report brought by South African online newspaper Daily Maverick on Wednesday (July 20).
The sources cited by Daily Maverick believed the petroleum company BP refused to refuel the Russian registered plane at OR Tambo because it is a British company and Britain has imposed sanctions on Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
They believed it probably flew to Maputo to be refuelled. It was spotted in the cargo terminal of Maputo International Airport on Tuesday and then left on Wednesday, flying north, Daily Maverick reports.
There had been speculation that the South African government might allow the Antonov to fly to Waterkloof Air Force base to refuel, but this would probably have been highly controversial as the base is a key security point.
Another South African online newspaper, City Press, had reported last week that the aircraft was carrying government cargo, but this could not be confirmed, reads the Daily Maverick report.
Aviation sources cited by Daily Maverick said they didn’t know what was in the Antonov. They said it belonged to Volga-Dnepr Airlines, based in Ulyanovsk, Russia. The airline specialises in transporting oversize, unique and heavy air cargo, particularly in the petrochemical, energy, aerospace, agriculture and telecommunications industries. It also conducts humanitarian and emergency flights.
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