A low-altitude flyover by two Airlink passenger jets before a rugby match at Cape Town’s (South Africa) DHL Stadium is being reviewed by the South African aviation authorities after it drew safety concerns, officials said on September 2nd.
Flight Data Recordings
‘abc NEWS’ stated that the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had obtained flight data recordings and requested additional information from the regional carrier Airlink as part of its assessment. A full report with recommendations will be issued once the review is complete.
The 55,000-seat Cape Town Stadium, known since 2021 as the DHL Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football (soccer) and rugby union stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, that was built as part of the country’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The agency said in a statement, “It is, therefore, critical that we interrogate this past weekend’s events … to determine if there were any safety concerns which warrant a review.”
Plans Withdrawn
‘abc NEWS’ further stated that Airlink has withdrawn plans for another flyover at the upcoming rugby match in Soweto (township in South Africa), according to the SACAA which is responsible for regulating aviation safety and security.
A flyover (or flypast) is a planned low-altitude flight by commercial or military aircraft over a specific public venue, such as a stadium, to mark a ceremonial occasion, national event, or major sports match.
Safety Risks
The flyover ahead of the Springboks (South Africa national rugby union team)-All Blacks (the national Men’s rugby union team of New Zealand) rugby match on August 29th drew huge cheers from an estimated crowd of about 56,000, but also sparked a debate over the safety risks after video footage by the spectators inside and around the stadium spread online.
‘Uniquely South African Moment’
Deandra Peters, 25, a pilot and aviation enthusiast attending her first live rugby match, said the crowd in the stadium was electrified by the spectacle in a way that was difficult to capture on video – “You can watch the planes fly over but you can’t recreate what it felt like to be inside a stadium full of Springbok supporters absolutely losing their minds. The atmosphere was electric – the noise, the pride, the emotion. It was a very uniquely South African moment.”
Safety First
Airlink said that the maneuver had been carefully planned and rehearsed and that safety was “the first consideration at every stage of the process”. It said each aircraft had three senior captains aboard with more than 75,000 combined flight hours across the crews.
Safety Concerns
Earlier this week, Airlink had provided the data from the airplanes’ Black Boxes to the Civil Aviation Authority for review. The SACAA said it would examine the flight data to determine whether any safety concerns warranted a review.
‘Valid Concerns’
The airline acknowledged the enthusiasm generated by the spectacle while also recognizing what it described as the “valid questions and concerns” that followed.
Airlink Chief Executive de Villiers Engelbrecht said in a statement, “We never intended to become the news or upstage Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.”
Special Air Events
The regulator said the airline had made applications for three flyovers. The most recent one in Cape Town was the second while the first flyover took place in Johannesburg (city in South Africa) on August 22nd. Both were approved in line with the requirements for the special air events.
Stadium Flybys
South African rugby has a long tradition of stadium flybys at major matches dating back to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final in Johannesburg when a Boeing 747 swept over the 62,567-seat Ellis Park Stadium before the Springboks faced the All Blacks.
Margin for Error
The August 29th flyby was unusually low and dramatic drawing international attention with some aviation experts later questioning whether the aircraft had left too little margin for error.
‘Compliance Verification’
In a statement, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it was carrying out a “compliance verification” of the August 29th flyover at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium to ensure “all safety protocols were adhered to by the crew”.
Aviation Safety Standards
The SACAA said in a statement that South Africa “is ranked seventh globally and first in Africa for our aviation safety standards by the International Civil Aviation Organization”.
There have been no fatal accidents in its commercial airline operations space for over four decades, it added.
Continue following Coliseum for the latest updates on sports venues, stadiums and arena business news worldwide.
Coliseum is dedicated to building a global community of sports and entertainment venue professionals helping create better and more profitable venues.
Become a member of the Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and industry experts from around the world. Apply for membership through the Global Sports Venue Alliance and access the 365Coliseum Business platform.