South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority has initiated a formal compliance review into the Airlink double flyover at DHL Stadium ahead of the second Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test on 29 August, while the airline has cancelled a planned repeat at the third Test in Johannesburg on 5 September citing unfavourable forecast weather.
The SACAA confirmed that Airlink had completed all required pre-flight procedures, including a simulator practice run, before the Cape Town display. However, the regulator has since engaged the airline directly and obtained flight data recordings as part of its compliance verification process.
Global tracking service Flightradar24 placed the lead aircraft at between 12.5 and 14 metres above the stadium's highest structure at its lowest point — a figure Airlink has disputed, arguing its own flight data is more precise than public tracking applications. The airline has offered that data to the SACAA review.
Airlink, an official Springbok sponsor, has firmly rejected accusations of recklessness, stating that safety was the primary consideration at every stage of planning and that the two Embraer jets were crewed by teams of three senior captains each. The airline posted on X: "Planning. Precision. Performance."
The flyover attracted international attention after images of the two custom-liveried jets banking low over the stadium went viral. Approximately 58,000 spectators were in attendance for the Springboks versus All Blacks clash.
The Cape Town flypast was the second in a series of three planned displays tied to the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, following an earlier flyover before the first Test at Ellis Park on 22 August. The third planned display, scheduled to coincide with the Johannesburg Test on 5 September, has now been cancelled.