Old video of passenger complaint falsely linked to Air India disaster

Published on June 17, 2025 at 11:45
4 min read
By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India

After a London-bound passenger jet crashed into a residential neighbourhood of India's Ahmedabad city, social media users falsely claimed an old video of an overheated airline passenger was taken moments before the disaster. An Instagram influencer confirmed to AFP the footage shows him during a 2024 flight to Dubai.

"Listen to what the passenger is saying in the video taken some time before the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash", says a Hindi-language Facebook post published June 13, 2025.

Bold Hindi text over the video reads: "Just before the crash".

The video, viewed over 405,000 times, shows passengers inside a plane struggling with the heat and fanning themselves.

"This is the condition of Air India Express. The AC isn’t working. Look at all the passengers -- we’re trying to stay cool using their laminated safety guidelines," someone says in Hindi.

Screenshot of the false post taken June 16, 2025

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people crashed between a hospital and a neighbourhood in Ghoda Camp, a residential area in Ahmedabad, on June 12, 2025 (archived link).

The crash has killed at least 279 people -- including 24 on the ground, with the possibility of a higher toll as more remains are found (archived link).

One man aboard the Air India flight miraculously survived the fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital (archived link).

The video of the overheated passenger spread alongside similar claims on Facebook and X.

However, the man clearly says he is travelling on an Air India Express plane. The logo of the low-cost airline, which operates as a distinct subsidiary of Air India, also appears in the video (archived link).

Screenshot of the misrepresented video, with elements highlighted by AFP

An Air India Express’ Boeing 737 MAX passenger aircraft is seen during an event unveiling the airline's new brand identity and logo at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on October 18, 2023 (AFP / INDRANIL MUKHERJEE)

One user replied to a false post on X: "My brother this is Mohammad Kaif from Lucknow. He is a blogger on YouTube and Facebook. He is from Lucknow. He is still alive."

A keyword search on Google found Kaif posted the original video August 16, 2024 on Instagram (archived link).

The post reads: "@arindiax Please answer me why did you do this?"

It also contained hashtags pertaining to the air conditioning not working while on a flight to Dubai.

Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the 2024 Instagram video, with elements highlighted by AFP

Kaif, a blogger from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, confirmed to AFP on June 13, 2025 that the video shows him months before the Ahmedabad plane crash.

"I made this video during my Dubai trip in 2024 while travelling on an Air India Express flight," he said. "The air conditioning wasn’t working, and all the passengers were very troubled due to the heat. That’s why we recorded the video and tagged the authorities in our post."

He continued: "Later, I was contacted, and the technical fault was fixed. This video has nothing to do with the recent accident -- it is now being shared with a false claim."

AFP has previously debunked misinformation about the Air India plane crash here and here.

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