Airlink defends ultra-low stadium flyover in Cape Town

Airlink, a South African airline backed by Qatar Airways, defended a double flypast over an international rugby match in Cape Town that sparked debate over aviation safety procedures.

SA Airlink, which operates about 70 Embraer passenger jets, said the manoeuvres on Saturday were conducted by a highly experienced crew of three senior captains in each aircraft, and required “careful planning and rehearsal.”

The flights were performed within the local aviation authority’s “approved and rehearsed safety altitude and speed limits,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

The incident attracted both widespread criticism and admiration online.

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed one of the two jets passed less than 50 feet above the top of the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, where South Africa’s Springboks rugby team was about to take on the New Zealand All Blacks.

South Africa has a history of buzzing sports stadiums with passenger jets, starting at the 1995 rugby world cup final in Johannesburg, attended by then-President Nelson Mandela. 

The Springboks, the current world champions, beat the All Blacks 33-26.