Celebrities were forced to apologize for sharing poorly timed posts about air travel just hours after the Air India plane crash.
The plane, which was bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday (June 12) from Ahmedabad Airport in northwestern India, claiming 241 lives among those who were on board.
Hours after the tragedy, English musician Tom Fletcher shared an “insensitive” post on his Instagram stories about boarding a flight.
The McFly singer quickly deleted the post and issued a statement acknowledging the poor timing of his message.
Celebrities issued public apologies after sharing “insensitive” posts about air travel hours after the Air India crash
Image credits: chude__
“Sorry, I’ve only just seen the terrible news about the Air India crash,” he wrote. “So awful.
“Had I known earlier, I obviously wouldn’t have posted about my flight today. I understand why that must have looked insensitive and have deleted it.”
Tom then thanked his fans for informing him of the news and offered his condolences to the loved ones of those who lost their lives in the crash.
“Thanks for letting me know. My whole heart goes out to everyone involved in the crash and all their friends & families.”
His post came just hours after Mark Wright issued an apology for complaining about the legroom on planes following the tragedy.
The TV personality posted a photo of himself, his wife, Michelle Keegan, and their baby daughter Palma posing in front of a private jet, joking about cramped plane seating.
McFly singer Tom Fletcher quickly deleted a photo of a plane and wrote, “Had I known earlier, I obviously wouldn’t have posted about my flight today”
Mark’s caption read, “One day babe, for now we’ll take row 26 with no extra leg room.”
He removed the post moments later and shared a statement on his Instagram Stories, explaining that it had been scheduled in advance to go up that day.
Mark, who appeared on TOWIE and presented Bachelor UK, wrote, “I apologise for a post I just put up on my page after today’s heartbreaking events.
“I have posts from a holiday that are on the scheduled setting, which go out on future days I have set them for which was done last week.
“It’s a horrendous coincidence that today’s post was on such a devastating day.”
The plane was carrying 242 people, and only one person survived
Horrific visuals from the Ahmedabad medical college building, where the plane crashed.#AirIndia #AhmedabadNews #Gujarat #PlaneCrash #AirIndia pic.twitter.com/Mnn3tp3aYR
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 12, 2025
The 38-year-old added, “Once I logged in to my Instagram and realised the post had gone out, I immediately deleted.
“My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected from today. I’m sorry for this mistake and any offence caused.”
Underneath the now-deleted post, one follower had written, “Prob not the best day to post this when so many people lost their lives on a plane,” as per the Daily Mail.
Another said, “Not really appropriate to put this up after today’s plane crash.”
Mark Wright also apologized for posting a photo in which he complained about cramped plane seating
The New Yorker magazine also had to apologize for an ill-timed post about air travel. The publication posted a sketch showing a passenger who had just missed his flight. An airport worker at the gate can be seen telling him, “You did say you wanted an earlier flight.”
The sketch was originally created in 2015 by cartoonist Joe Dator.
People asked the weekly magazine, first published 100 years ago, to “read the room” and delete the post.
“It’s a horrendous coincidence that today’s post was on such a devastating day,” wrote the British TV personality
Dɘath toll in Air India crąsh pegged at 290 as doctors in building where plane engine crashɘd are recorded among casualtiɘs pic.twitter.com/XC0JnbUmD4
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) June 13, 2025
“The Instagram post was pre-scheduled before today’s tragic news out of India,” a New Yorker spokesperson clarified in a statement.
“We have since deleted the post and regret the inadvertent poor timing.”
The New Yorker deleted a cartoon showing a man who had just missed his flight
Image credits: The New Yorker
Air India light AI171 was carrying 242 people on board, including Indian, British, Canadian, and Portuguese nationals.
The airline confirmed that 241 people lost their lives in the crash. The sole survivor is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh said in an interview at the hospital where he was being treated, as per the Hindustan Times.
He said he was visiting family in India and was returning to the UK with his brother, who was sitting in a different row.
People inside the BJ Medical College and Hospital hostel also lost their lives when the plane crashed into it. The number of casualties among people on the ground remains unclear, but it’s believed to be around 50, according to CNN. Between 50 and 60 students have been admitted to local hospitals.
The only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, had traveled to India to visit his family and was returning to the UK with his brother
British crash survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh describes his escape from the Air India plane in Ahmedabad.
Everyone on the plane died, except for him.https://t.co/czOsM5ZWRp pic.twitter.com/Va9cfnaILe
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 13, 2025
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lost signal less than a minute after takeoff, at an altitude of 625 feet (approx. 190 m), before it plunged from the sky.
Staff on the plane gave a Mayday call to air traffic control, according to Indian civil aviation authorities, which reportedly came less than a minute after takeoff.
The US National Transportation Safety Board will lead a team heading to India to assist local authorities in investigating the crash. Additionally, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has offered to assist Indian authorities in the investigation.
The celebrity apologies reignited debate about cancel culture
