South Africa airline causes uproar after daring stadium flyover

Social media was buzzing this past weekend when two flights flew across the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, ahead of the Springboks and All Blacks test on Saturday.

Many media reports and people expressed how unsafe and irresponsible it was for the airline to fly just over 50 feet from the packed stadium.

Airlink, Southern Africa’s premier airline, released a statement assuring the public that the events were planned and rehearsed beforehand, and that it was approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Airlink said that they staged a memorable formation flyby over the Ellis Park Rugby Stadium, setting the stage for the highly anticipated match between South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks.

The flyby was performed by two of Airlink’s bespoke-liveried Embraer aircraft (ZS-YAE E190 in green, and ZS-YDE E195 in black), reflecting the colours of the two competing teams and bearing the official Tour logo.