With a massive fleet of over 400 aircrafts, 90+ domestic and 40+ international destinations in its roster, IndiGo has ascended to become the largest airline in India in the past two decades. Founded in 2005
and operational since 2006, IndiGo Airlines has grounded its competitors through meticulous planning and a thinking-outside-the-box strategy. Popularised as the low-cost carrier, the airline, headquartered in Haryana’s Gurugram, rose to significant highs thanks to its swift turnaround times, punctual departures and arrivals, quirky cost-cutting techniques, and operational efficiency, among other factors.
Reliability and affordability playing massive roles in its strong hold in the aviation world, it’s hard not to spot an IndiGo aircraft.
So when a photograph of the airline being spotted in the most remote continent in the world shows up on social media, it’s really not a wildly unbelievable scenario. Or it?
“First Indian Aircraft In Antarctica”
A photo with over 10,000 likes recently appeared on an Instagram account. The handle @aeroconcepts stated that the IndiGo-operated Antonov-124 became the first-ever Indian airline to land in Antarctica.
Calling it the “defining moment in Indian aviation history”, the account wrote:
“The IndiGo-operated Antonov-124 has become the first Indian aircraft to land in Antarctica. Captured here during its pre-flight de-icing and pushback procedures, the mighty freighter prepares to depart for Mumbai — closing a defining moment in Indian aviation history.”
The photo, due to its “historic” nature, found wings and landed on Reddit.
“I was unaware of Indigo’s game,” a Reddit user wrote. The post attracted attention, 2000+ upvotes, and a tiny revelation. Later, in the comments the OP, admitted to have shared the photo with satire without making it obvious, given it was posted in the popular r/indianaviation community.
If you haven’t already caught the drift, the photo of Indigo was fake and generated by AI. Did the Instagram account @aeroconcepts mislead us? Nope. The account is known to cook up scenarios and imagine fictional liveries. And for those who aren’t well-versed in spotting concept planes, the account’s bio pretty much gives it away.
Also Read: Who Is Ethan Guo And Why Has He Been Fined Rs 26 Lakh For Landing In Antarctica?
“No Photoshop! Everything you see here is 100% real. Airlines personally repaint their planes just for my posts,” the bio read.
Antonov-124
The aircraft depicted in the photograph as a part of IndiGo’s fleet was Antonov An-124, a heavy-lift cargo plane. The giant bird can support a maximum payload of 150 tons. The Antonov-124 is 226 feet long with a 240-foot wingspan and weighs 450 tons.
Antarctica
Often in the news for its melting icebergs and rising temperatures, Antarctica barely witnesses aircraft. Considered as one of the most remote places on Earth, the polar desert is the driest, windiest, and coldest continent on the pale blue dot. With no permanent residents in sight, the fifth-largest continent has clocked the lowest recorded temperature of −89.2 °C on Earth.
Owing to its remoteness and extreme conditions, spotting an aircraft is a rare sight. The scientists are transported to the isolated continent on military or government aircraft.
Antarctica does attract seasonal tourists aboard charter aircraft that land and take off from purpose-built runways, but the high cost of these sightseeing day trips organised by tourist operators hinders backpackers and travel enthusiasts, thereby helping preserve its isolation. Reportedly, 15,000 visitors annually get the privilege to visit Antarctica by air.
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176137924126358635.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-176129003639731755.webp)
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176128947846184937.webp)
