Drama and spectacle added to exciting sporting events
As the official airline sponsor of the 2026 Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series, presented by Castle Double Malt, Airlink kicked off the Springboks vs All Blacks test matches with spectacular formation flybys.
They were performed by two of Airlink’s bespokeliveried Embraer aircraft – ZS-YAE, an E190 in green, and ZS-YDE, an E195 in black – reflecting the colours of the two competing teams and bearing the official RGR logo. Throughout the series, these eye-catching aircraft were also deployed to fly the respective teams and support personnel between their fixtures.
Safety was paramount and two trios of Airlink’s most senior captains were selected to plan, practise and perform the precision flybys with split-second timing. ZS-YDE, with call sign ‘Link 001’, was flown by Jaco Henning and Johan Nicolaisen, supported by Ruan Burger as the safety/technical officer. ZS-YAE, with the call sign ‘Link 002’, was piloted by Dean Nicholas and Frik Nell, with Chris Cook as safety/technical support.
The sorties required close choreography with the global TV broadcaster, ensuring that the Airlink formation crossed over the stadia as soon as the All Blacks had performed the haka, their ceremonial war dance.
The flights demanded careful planning, as they required navigating at low altitude, passing over the stadia just a few hundred feet above the ground, at around 150 knots, which is low speed for a jetliner designed to cruise at more than twice that velocity at 40,000 feet altitude. The South African Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic Navigation Services provided valuable guidance and support to ensure a spectacular, safe outcome.
Camera-ready plane spotters and professional aviation photographers, such as African Pilot Magazine’s Timothy Homan, had positioned themselves near the stadia to capture what they have described as some of the most exciting flybys witnessed in South Africa.
Text | Linden Birns Photography | Timothy Homan, Captain Chris Cook and supplied
For more information, go to flyairlink.com
