A fly-by by a Virgin passenger jet sparked a security scare at Saturday's AFL Grand Final, even prompting Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's bodyguard to 'reach for his gun'.
The PR stunt backfired just before the first bounce when the A330 flew low just above the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the showpiece game was about to get underway.
Fans tweeted their shock and Collingwood president and TV host Eddie McGuire told how the AFP assigned to Ms Bishop feared the venue was under attack.
McGuire told Fox Footy, 'I was sitting about 10 metres away from the foreign defense minister Julie Bishop and can I tell you, when the Virgin plane flew over the top of the MCG, I looked around and the secret service bloke from the federal police reached for the gun because no one had told him,' reported the Daily Telegraph.
'This bloke, he went for the gun. I’m serious, mate. I don’t know what he was going to do with it, pop it out of the sky,' he said.
The low-altitude A330 Airbus caused an uproar on social media, with many AFL fan's taking to tweeting about the stunt instead of the game.
One Twitter user said, 'Hey @AFL and @VirginAustralia - really appreciated the plane flying 20m over my house after weeks of political scaremongering... #AFLGF'.
Another commented, 'omg @ virgin airlines flying a plane close to the ground for a promotional stunt at the afl grand final during a high terrorism alert'.
The stunt come after weeks of heightened tension within Australia, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott announcing an increase in the terror alert to 'high' for the nation.
Following 'terror raids' on homes of suspected terrorists, some in the community have questioned the appropriateness of the timing for such a stunt.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said: 'Virgin Australia is the official airline of the AFL and as a show of support for the game we operate a special flight over the MCG on Grand Final day each year.'
The flight was apparently operated in strict accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements, and flown by three senior pilots with no passengers aboard the plane.
Some football fans come out and called for followers to calm down, poking fun at those who were scared by the stunt.
'Those Melbourne football fans are a bunch of cowardly pants-wetters, aren’t they?'
Virgin, the official airline partner of the AFL, gave warning of the pre-game entertainment. The airline posted on their Facebook page at midday, 'Are you in Melbourne today? Look up in the sky just after 2pm for our MCG flyover.'
One Facebook user backed up the decision, commenting on the post, 'Great display ...don't listen to the drama queens trying to drum up sensationalism in relation to the aircraft flying low over the MCG and causing fear.'
Another said, 'Inappropriate? You're kidding. This is Australia, this is how we do things.'
- Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says he saw an AFP officer reach for a gun when a Virgin Australia plane flew low over the MCG as part of the Grand Final celebrations.
Footy fans and Melburnians have slammed Virgin Australia for the hair-raising sponsorship stunt which formed part of the pre-match entertainment.
McGuire says the incident spooked an AFP officer he was seated near.
“I was sitting about 10 metres away from the foreign defense minister Julie Bishop and can I tell you, when the Virgin plane flew over the top of the MCG, I looked around and the secret service bloke from the federal police reached for the gun because no one had told him,” McGuire told Fox Footy.
“This bloke, he went for the gun. I’m serious, mate. I don’t know what he was going to do with it, pop it out of the sky,” he added.
The colorful media personality's comments come in the wake of the Twitter storm that erupted after an A330 airbus flew over the stadium at low altitude before the first bounce.
Crowds outside gasped when the plane roared over the top of the stadium.
AFL fan Nicole said she was scared by the low-flying plane.
“That was really low. Pretty crazy.”
Mark from Melbourne tweeted: “We are in a state of high terror alert. All for the sake of sponsorship with no warning to the city. STUPID.”
“GEE @virginaustralia stupid time to fly over the MCG. You know, because terrorism.”
However other fans were delighted with the stunt.
“I love a good flyover nonetheless! what a good spectacle at the ground,” tweeted Riley Toms.
Fans at the ground cheered at the jet as commentators confirmed it was as a pre-organized marketing stunt.
Virgin Australia quickly moved to stem fears by tweeting to worried Melburnians online that the flight path had be prearranged.
Virgin Australia spokeswoman Emma King said the flight is operated in strict accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements by three senior pilots.
“Virgin Australia is the official airline of the AFL and as a show of support for the game we operate a special flight over the MCG on Grand Final day each year,” she said.
There were no passengers on board.
- Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au
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