These Airlink Jets Flew So Low the Internet Thought Disaster Was Coming
Oh boy, oh boy — this one had the entire stadium looking up instead of at the rugby pitch. Two Airlink passenger jets swept frighteningly low over DHL Stadium in Cape Town just before the Springboks faced New Zealand’s All Blacks on Saturday, August 29, leaving video viewers convinced they had just watched a near-disaster unfold.
The stunt looked especially wild because the aircraft crossed the stadium in formation while pyrotechnics were firing from the venue below. From several camera angles, the lead jet appeared to skim just above the roofline before pulling away.
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When Aviation Meets Stadium Spectacle
That Cape Town flyover looked almost too wild to be real. Revisit aviation gear and South African rugby while the internet debates just how low was too low.
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The aircraft were part of an organized pre-match flyby for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. Airlink is the official domestic airline partner for the tour and has been transporting the South African and New Zealand teams between their South African fixtures.
Flight-tracking analysis from Flightradar24 estimated that the lead aircraft passed roughly 41 to 46 feet above the top of the stadium. That is extraordinarily low for something carrying the visual weight of a commercial passenger jet, which helps explain why the footage instantly went viral.
But here is the important correction to the most dramatic social-media captions: there is no confirmed evidence that the two aircraft nearly collided with each other or actually came within inches of hitting the stadium. The perspective from inside the bowl makes the pass look even tighter than it was, and Airlink says the manoeuvre was planned, rehearsed and approved.
Airlink responded to the safety concerns on Sunday, saying the formation flyby required careful planning because the jets were travelling at low altitude at around 150 knots. The airline said the South African Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic Navigation Services provided guidance and approval for the display.
According to Airlink, each aircraft also carried three senior captains serving as commander, co-pilot and safety/technical officer. The airline says its flight-data records show the jets remained within the altitude and speed limits approved for the flypast.
Still, approved or not, the visual is completely bonkers. Stadium flyovers have a long tradition in South African rugby — famously including the Boeing 747 pass over Ellis Park before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final — but seeing two regional airliners dive into the bowl’s sightline in formation is another level of spectacle entirely.
The actual rugby eventually reclaimed everyone’s attention, with the Springboks beating the All Blacks 33–26. But for a few seconds beforehand, nobody in that stadium appeared especially concerned with the scoreboard.
Watch the Airlink Jets’ Ultra-Low DHL Stadium Flyover
The pre-match formation flyby took place in Cape Town before the August 29 Springboks–All Blacks Test.
Source: Airlink; Flightradar24.
