Abhijit Chaliha, Guwahati: In a tragic twist of fate, a front-page advertisement in Mumbai’s Mid-Day newspaper on June 12 featuring an Air India aircraft has drawn widespread attention — not for its intended summer campaign, but for its eerie coincidence with a fatal Air India plane crash that occurred just hours later. The ad, part of a planned promotional campaign by KidZania India, showed an Air India aircraft soaring playfully out of cartoonish city windows, inviting children to “play pilot or cabin crew” as part of the brand’s aviation experience centre. The ad was meant to promote educational roleplay opportunities at KidZania’s Aviation Academy, operated in partnership with Air India. However, the cheerful image took on a chilling undertone later that same day, when Flight AI171 — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick — crashed shortly after take-off. Of the 242 passengers and crew aboard, only one person reportedly survived, making it one of the deadliest air disasters in recent Indian aviation history. Social media was quick to react, with many users calling the timing “unsettling” and the ad “haunting in hindsight.” Still, most acknowledged that the ad had been finalized and printed well in advance, with no connection to the tragic incident. A spokesperson from KidZania India clarified that the image was purely part of a pre-scheduled summer engagement campaign and was not linked to the Air India crash in any form. “The aircraft used in our ad symbolizes our Aviation Academy experience for children and is a regular part of our global promotional material,” the company stated. As investigations into the crash of AI171 continue, the juxtaposition of the upbeat ad and the grim reality has added a surreal element to a national tragedy — a stark reminder of the unpredictability of life and timing.
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