A tragic incident unfolded on June 12, 2025, when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick. The tragedy left 27 people dead, including 241 people on board, with only one survivor who escaped miraculously.
As the nation grieves this devastating loss, an unexpected detail has drawn widespread attention. Political analyst Tehseen Poonawala was among netizens who shared a front page of Gujarat's widely read newspaper Mid-Day, printed on the same day, just hours before the deadly crash. The advertisement held an eerie similarity to what was witnessed in the aftermath of the Ahmedabad plane crash.
"The universe always reflects what we project. This ad was meant as a joyful Father’s Day celebration, and I respect that intent. Yet, it underscores the gravity of what we share. I am not claiming any conspiracy theories, all I am insisting is always put positive things into the universe!" Poonawala wrote in a post on X.
A haunting coincidence
The front page features a colourful advertisement for KidZania, a popular family entertainment and learning destination. What particularly stood out to readers in the aftermath of the tragedy is the prominent image of an Air India aircraft within the ad. The plane is shown flying from the right side of the page, appearing to emerge from a stylised cityscape, which is part of the KidZania theme.
The Air India logo and livery are visible. In the context of the ad, the aircraft is meant to highlight KidZania's aviation experience, where children can role-play as pilots and flight attendants. The plane is shown flying low above buildings, intended to evoke a sense of excitement and imagination but it held a completely different meaning after a similar scene was witnessed at the medical college where the flight AI171 crashed.
As the aircraft crashed and broke into pieces before turning into a massive fireball, it's tail fell and wedged into a building on the premises.
Air India aircraft wedged in a building
The coincidence became starkly noticeable just hours after the newspaper was circulated. The real-world crash of Air India Flight AI171 cast a haunting shadow over what was originally a playful, family-oriented advertisement. The cheerful image of the plane, meant to inspire wonder, now feels chillingly out of place to readers who saw it after the news broke.
However, it is essential to recognise that this was a tragic coincidence. The advertisement was part of a scheduled campaign promoting KidZania’s Father's Day event from June 13 to 15. The creative team had no way of anticipating the events that would follow but people on social media expressed surprise on the timing and similarity of advertisement with the crash.