The South African airline Airlink has defended a low-altitude flypast by two of its jets over a packed rugby stadium in Cape Town, after the manoeuvre drew both criticism and praise online. The aircraft flew in close formation over the DHL Stadium as flares were set off ahead of a rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand, with some describing the stunt as reckless while others hailed the skill involved. Airlink said the flypast was carefully planned and approved by aviation authorities, with each plane flown by three senior captains in defined safety roles.

Flight tracking site Flightradar24 estimated the lead aircraft passed less than 50 feet (15 metres) above the top of the stadium. Such flybys have featured before major South African rugby fixtures in the past, most famously when a South African Airways jet flew over a Johannesburg stadium before the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, a symbolic moment in the post-apartheid era later dramatised in the film Invictus.