Video of Bhangra on board Air India flight dates back to 2018
Tata Sons acquired national carrier Air India for Rs 18,000 crore.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 10 Nov 2021 6:33 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: Tata Sons acquired national carrier Air India for Rs 18,000 crore. (Source: NDTV)
Against this backdrop, a video of a Bhangra performance inside a flight is being shared on social media. Users claim the video shows the first Air India (AI) flight from India to Canada after the takeover. The video is circulating with the caption, "Tata Air India first flight to Canada from India."
FACT CHECK:
The claim is false.
NewsMeter searched online using the keyword "Bhangra in Air India flight" and found a video report published by India Today dated 23 February 2018 that carries the same video.
The video caption states that the government-run airline resumed its first flight between Amritsar and Birmingham (England) after a gap of 8 years and the moment was celebrated with Bhangra.
A report by NDTV dated 23 February 2018 also reported the same and adds that passengers flying to India from Britain were in for a musical surprise as just moments before takeoff, a special dhol performance took place by the musical group called 'Dhol Blasters'.
Birmingham airport in a press release had said that the terminal came alive on 20 February 2018 with Indian drummers and dancers weaving their way through passengers who were joined by Members of Parliament, business leaders, and members of the UK Sikh community.
Moreover, it was a TikTok video. TikTok is banned in India since 2020. It indicated that the viral video is not recent. The TikTok video was made by King Gurcharan Mall, a dhol player and bhangra teacher based in the UK.
Mall had shared the same video on YouTube on March 9, 2018, and captioned it "Dhol blasters playing inside Air India Flight".
Also, as per news reports, Tata is expected to operate Air India flights in January 2022. The tentative date for operations is January 23, 2022.
Clearly, the viral video does not show the first Air India flight from India to Canada after the acquisition.
Thus, the claim is false.
