Emirates has denounced “alarming” videos of a plane crash circulating on social media as “fabricated” and “untrue”.
Videos on TikTok and X/Twitter of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft on fire and crash landing appear to be content generated by AI of the Emirates fleet.
The airline said in a statement on 4 January: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting an Emirates plane crash. Emirates confirms it is fabricated content and untrue.
“We are in contact with the various social media platforms to remove the video or make clear that it is digitally created footage to avoid false and alarming information from circulating. Unfortunately, the platforms’ responses to such content review requests are not quick enough, therefore necessitating this statement.”
The Dubai-based airline has maintained an excellent safety record since it was founded in 1985, with only one recorded crash.
On 3 August 2016, an Emirates flight caught fire at Dubai International Airport after it crash-landed with 300 people on board.
Flight EK521 was arriving on schedule from India when it “crash-landed” during an attempted go-around.
Firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan tragically died in the blaze after boarding the wreckage.
There were no other fatalities from the 300 passengers and crew onboard.
“Safety is core to Emirates’ brand and operations, and we regard such matters with utmost seriousness. We urge all audiences to always check and refer to official sources,” Emirates added.
The influx of fake plane crash videos comes after a series of real aviation tragedies.
A Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 was followed four days later by an incident with a Jeju Air Boeing 737.
Investigators said that bird feathers have been found in an engine recovered from the site of the deadly Jeju Air flight, which crashed-landed and killed 179 people in South Korea.
The Boeing 737-800 skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport and hit a concrete fence, bursting into flames, on 29 December.
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