The plane that crashed at Juba International Airport on Wednesday, killing more than 40 people “was in no state to fly”, Ukraine-based aircraft company said.

Antonov, the aircraft company, said in a statement that the An-12B was in no state to fly because it failed to undergo timely technical servicing that should have included work on extending its resources and exploitation timeframe.

Ukraine was the An-12B’s designer, but the plane itself was built in Uzbekistan, and later registered in the neighbouring Central state of Tajikistan.