The South African airline defended the low-flying maneuvers of two Embraer E190 aircraft over a stadium in Cape Town during a rugby match. The company justified the maneuver as part of a well-established tradition in the country.
These low-flying passes are a tradition before rugby matches in South Africa, having started in 1995, before the Rugby World Cup final. On that occasion, a Boeing 747 flew over Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg before the final between the same teams that were now facing each other.
The tradition became etched in the memory of South Africans as an iconic moment in the country's sport. However, some experts expressed concern about the safety margins in this specific instance of the low-flying passes in Cape Town.
