Forecast of unfavourable weather cited as reason
Aircraft passed less than 50 feet above stadium
South African airline Airlink has cancelled a planned flypast before Saturday’s Springboks-All Blacks rugby Test as the country’s aviation regulator reviews a similar display conducted by the airline last week.
Airlink said on Wednesday it had withdrawn its application for a formation flyby ahead of the Rugby Championship clash at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, citing forecasts of unfavourable weather. The South African civil aviation authority (SACAA) is conducting a compliance verification of the airline’s 29 August flypast over Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.
“We are currently conducting a compliance verification just to satisfy ourselves that all safety protocols were adhered to by the crew,” said the SACAA executive Phindiwe Gwebu.
Just before the start of the second Test between South Africa and New Zealand, two Airlink Embraer aircraft flew in formation over the packed stadium, drawing widespread attention on social media. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the lead aircraft passed less than 50 feet (15m) above the top of the stadium.
The SACAA said it was analysing flight data recorder downloads provided by the airline and had requested additional information from the operator before reaching a conclusion.
Airlink said it had voluntarily provided the data and maintained the flyby “was performed safely” by crews comprising three senior captains with a combined 75,000 hours of flying experience. “Although we have also heard the widespread enthusiasm for a flyby at FNB Stadium this weekend, the forecast weather points to unfavourable conditions for a safe formation flyby,” chief executive De Villiers Engelbrecht said.
South Africa and New Zealand are level at 1-1 in the four-Test Greatest Rivalry series heading into Saturday’s encounter at Soccer City in Soweto.
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