Old Unrelated Video Going Viral As The Video From the Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Moments Before The Crash.

After the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash on 25 December 2024 that killed 38 people, many videos surfaced on social media linking it to the fatal incident. Against this backdrop, a video of passengers chanting prayers inside a plane went viral on social media claiming it to be the footage of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane just before the crash. Sharing the video on Facebook, a user wrote, “Azerbaijan Plane Crash Passengers Video”

Facebook Link | Archived Link.

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the video was old and unrelated to the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a tweet from the X handle of Sputnik Arabic on 25 September that contained the viral video. The translation of the caption of this tweet reads, “Videos have spread on social media showing an Air Algerie plane heading to Istanbul returning an hour after takeoff due to a technical glitch. The footage shows panic among passengers and the sounds of Takbeer inside the plane.”

X Link | Archived Link.

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed on 25 December 2024, whereas the tweet is from September 2024. This makes it clear that the viral video is unrelated to the recent Azerbaijan Plane Crash.

Taking this clue, using relevant keywords, we found a video similar to the viral video on the Facebook page, “Morocco World News”. The caption of the post read, “An Air Algerie flight heading to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Houari Boumediene Airport on Monday, September 23, around one hour after takeoff due to a technical failure. The flight, which departed at around 11PM local time, returned as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. The airline stated that maintenance teams are currently investigating the cause of the issue and conducting technical checks to restore the aircraft to service as soon as possible. A replacement flight has been scheduled to accommodate affected passengers.”

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Moving forward, we found a news report published on 24 September 2024 that read, “Amateur videos posted on social media showed the state of passengers on an Air Algérie plane after learning that the aircraft was suffering from a technical problem. Air Algérie announced on Monday that a plane bound for Istanbul turned back Sunday evening to Algiers International Airport due to a technical problem. “The national airline Air Algérie wishes to inform and reassure its valued customers, as well as the public, that due to a technical problem that occurred on flight AH 3018, connecting Algiers to Istanbul, which took off on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 11:02 p.m. from Houari Boumediene International Airport, the captain decided to turn around after one hour of flight, and this as a preventive measure and for the safety of the passengers and crew on board,” the statement said. The same source added that once disembarked at Houari Boumediene International Airport, “the passengers were taken care of by Air Algérie through accommodation measures and another flight was scheduled for Monday evening, September 23, 2024 at 10:10 p.m., to transport them to Istanbul.”

Archived Link

The same viral video was uploaded on the Info Trafic Algerie Facebook page on 23 September 2024.

Further, we found a report published in Al Jazeera on 25 September 2024, that contained the viral video. The report read, “Algerie flight, causing panic and terror among passengers, forcing it to return to Houari Boumediene International Airport in the Algerian capital.

According to press reports, the flight was heading from Algiers International Airport to Istanbul, Turkey, on an Airbus A330, with a capacity of more than 200 passengers, as the photos showed that it was full of passengers.

But an hour after taking off from Algiers International Airport, the plane experienced an emergency during flight, forcing it to return to the departure airport, according to navigational data. It was able to land safely after an hour of terror, amid great joy that was evident on the passengers’ faces…”

This makes it clear that the viral video is old and unrelated to the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video is old and shows an Air Algerie flight’s passengers chanting prayer after a technical malfunction had been reported in the aircraft. This has no link to the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash.