Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Boarding pass of Rahul Gandhi for his Vistara flight to Bangkok on June 5, 2024, a day after the Lok Sabha election results.
Fact
Altered image of an aviation columnist’s boarding pass from 2019.
Several social media users are circulating an image of a purported boarding pass of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, booked for a Vistara flight on June 5 to Bangkok, Thailand, a day after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results are announced. The viral image comes amid multiple exit polls predicting a huge win (over 350 seats) for the ruling BJP-led NDA.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here. We received this claim on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), too, requesting us to fact-check it.
Fact Check
Newschecker first noticed two different flight numbers were mentioned on the boarding pass, indicating that it may have been digitally altered.
We then ran a reverse image search of the photo, which led us to a similar image in this column for LiveFromALounge.com, an online platform that publishes news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, and travel trends.
The column, headlined, “Onboard Vistara To Singapore: The first Vistara international flight ever!”, dated August 7, 2019, was written by Ajay Awtaney, the founder and editor of Live From A Lounge. “Having flown the first flight of Vistara domestically back in 2015, it was a done deal that I was going to fly them internationally as well on the first flight. Finally, the airline announced international operations in July 2019, and the first international flight was operated between Delhi and Singapore yesterday, on which I flew,” read the column.
A comparison of the viral image (left) with Awtaney’s photo of his boarding pass (right) confirms it was the same image that has been morphed.
We also reached out to Awtaney, who said, “I can confirm the original image was lifted from my website LiveFromALounge.com and edited. I flew with Vistara between Delhi and Singapore on the occasion of their first international flight in July 2019.”
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Heading To Bangkok After Lok Sabha Poll Results? Viral Image Of Boarding Pass Is Edited
Conclusion
Viral image claimed to show Rahul Gandhi’s boarding pass for a Vistara Flight to Bangkok on June 5 found to be digitally altered.
Result: Altered Media
Sources
LiveFromALounge.com column, August 7, 2019
Email from Ajay Awtaney, aviation columnist
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
