South African airline defends low-altitude aerial stunt over packed stadium

A South African airline has defended itself against some criticism of a dramatic stunt that saw two of its aircraft in close formation fly reportedly within feet of the top of a stadium.

The flyby happened on Saturday before a rugby game between South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town.

Footage of the flyover quickly began circulating on social media, prompting mixed reactions as some expressed concerns over safety.

Cape Town stunt sparks major debate over safety risks Airlink insist flyby conducted according to regulations A pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of around 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over saf

A pregame stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a sports stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of around 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over safety risks.

Flightradar24 estimates that the lead jet passed just 12 to 14 metres above the roof of Cape Town Stadium

A pregame stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a sports stadium in South Africa has sparked a major debate over safety risks

A pregame stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a sports stadium in South Africa has sparked a major debate over safety risks

Dramatically low flyby by passenger jets over packed South African stadium sparks safety debate  AP News

The Qatar Airways-backed airline, Airlink, have defended a double flypast over South Africa’s rugby union match against New Zealand after online backlash. Two passenger jets flew above the DHL Stadium in Cape Town with flight tracking website Flightradar24 stating that one of the two planes cleared the arena’s roof by

Airlink says the manoeuvre with two planes in close formation involved careful and precise planning.

Two Airlink Embraer E-Jets were seen soaring over DHL Stadium in Cape Town ahead of South Africa 's game against New Zealand on Saturday afternoon.