South African CAA 'Looking Into' 50-Foot Stadium Flyover

Two jets operated by carrier Airlink came within 50 feet of a crowded sports venue.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, September 02, 2026 at 04:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Two Embraer E-Jets operated by South African carrier Airlink flew within 50 feet of a stadium on Saturday, according to analysis by FlightRadar24. [Credit: Airlink]

Key Takeaways:

Two Airlink Embraer E-Jets performed an extremely low flyover (within 50 feet) of a crowded stadium in Cape Town, sparking both public praise for precision and significant safety concerns.
South Africa's aviation regulator, SACAA, is reviewing the incident, despite Airlink stating the flights were approved as a "Special Air Event" and conducted within authorized safety altitude and speed limits.
Airlink has since canceled a planned future flyby, and SACAA is gathering flight data and additional information to make recommendations and issue a comprehensive report on the event.

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Two Embraer E-Jets operated by South African carrier Airlink passed within 50 feet of a crowded stadium during a flyover Saturday, drawing praise, scrutiny, and now a review by the country’s aviation regulator.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said Wednesday that it is “looking into” the flyby, which took place at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium ahead of a rugby match between the national teams of South Africa and New Zealand that was attended by more than 56,000 fans.