Two Airlink Embraer aircraft fly over DHL Stadium in Cape Town before the second Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks on Saturday
Image: AIRLINK
Airlink has offered the aviation regulator black-box data from the two aircraft that flew low over DHL Stadium moments before Saturday's Springbok Test against the All Blacks kicked off.
This comes after video of the flypast grabbed international headlines, with the New York Post quoting an onlooker who said the pass could have been catastrophic.
"Airlink, on its own initiative, has volunteered these data sets to the SACAA so it can independently review and verify that the flypast was in accordance with the flight authorisation," the airline said in a statement issued to *IOL *by spokesperson Linden Birns.
A black box is a crash-resistant recorder fitted to airliners.
It records dozens of readings several times a second, including the aircraft’s altitude, speed and heading, and is typically examined by investigators after a crash.
Birns said the airline would make no further comment until the regulator had reviewed the data.
"While Airlink appreciates the interest and concern, it will refrain from making any further comments while the SACAA reviews the flight data," he said.
Aviation analyst Guy Leitch told IOL the aircraft had been flown lower than necessary, but said the flypast was not reckless.
"They flew an approved sequence, they flew it within limits, and it was not fundamentally dangerous," Leitch said.
"There was an adequate safety margin.
"My view is that they probably overcooked it a little bit.
"It would have been better for all round if they had flown it a bit higher."
Two Embraer aircraft, the green E190 registered ZS-YAE and the black E195 registered ZS-YDE, crossed the stadium in formation moments before kick-off in the second Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks, in front of a crowd of more than 56,000.
SA won the match 33-26 to level the four-Test Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1, with Cheslin Kolbe scoring 18 points off the tee.
The pass was broadcast live on TV and the clip spread within minutes, with viewers saying the aircraft appeared to come dangerously close to the roof.
Airlink said the flypast took careful planning and was rehearsed beforehand because it had to be flown at low altitude and at about 150 knots, roughly 280km/h.
The SACAA and Air Traffic Navigation Services gave guidance, approval and support for the flight, the airline said.
Each aircraft carried three senior captains, one flying as commander, one as co-pilot, and a third responsible for safety and technical checks.
The tradition dates to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park, when SA Airways captain Laurie Kay took a Boeing 747 low over the ground with the words "Good Luck Bokke" painted on its underside before SA beat New Zealand.
The moment was recreated in the 2009 film Invictus.
Airlink, which is the official domestic airline of the current tour and flies both squads between venues, staged a flypast before the first Test at Ellis Park a week earlier.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 777 flew over the same Cape Town ground in June 2025 ahead of a Qatar Airways Cup football match, and drew almost no complaints.
Footage of Saturday's pass ran on international news sites within hours, including the New York Post, ABC News and the Fox network in the US, with aviation title Simple Flying calling it a "risky low-level flyover".
The Post quoted an onlooker who said the display could have been catastrophic.
Sky Sports ran the headline "that was mighty low", saying the flyover came dangerously close to the stadium roof before the SA-NZ Test.
9 News Sydney said aviation experts were left shocked by the flyover.
Aviation expert Peter Harbison told 9 News Sydney the flypast should not have been permitted.
"Far too dangerous," Harbison said.
Many social media users came to the defence of the pilots.
"SA has some of the best pilots in the world," one user said.
Another said the flyby, the anthem and the game were epic.
"Best rugby players and best pilots," a third said.
The SA Civil Aviation Authority told IOL it would release a statement in due course.
**IOL News **
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