Air India crash: UAE residents demand 'lucky' seat 11A after passenger survives

Travel agents in the UAE are seeing a growth in popularity for Seat 11A on flights after a passenger sitting in the same seat number miraculously survived the Air India plane crash last week.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only known survivor among 242 passengers in the horrific Air India plane crash on June 12. The British national was seated on seat number 11A near an emergency exit on the Ahmedabad-London flight, and managed to escape after the crash with burn wounds.

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This has prompted some Indian travellers in the UAE to book the “lucky” 11A seat or other seats in row 11. The idea is that the 11A seat – or seat closer to the emergency exit – is “lucky” or “safer”, and therefore, they’re willing to pay an additional amount to secure it.

Namita Thakkar, a long-time UAE resident, will be travelling to India next week and she will try to get the “lucky” 11A seat on her Dubai-Mumbai flight, if possible.

“I am travelling to India soon with my son on an Air India flight, and I would be lying if I said the recent tragic incident hasn’t been on my mind. It’s hard not to think about it, especially after reading about the survivor who walked away from the crash, seated in 11A. That detail stuck with me. For a moment, I genuinely considered requesting the same seat for my son. Not because I’m superstitious, but something about that seat just stuck. Maybe a tiny thread of hope in the middle of something so heartbreaking,” she told Khaleej Times.

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“But then I reminded myself that fear, while natural, can quietly grow and take hold, especially in young minds. So I don’t want to pass on that kind of silent worry to my child. Our children should feel excitement and wonder about flying, not anxiety rooted in tragedy,” she added.

“So instead, I’m choosing to trust, pray for a safe journey, and remember that miracles do happen but so does everyday safety, which we often take for granted,” added Namita, a communication professional in Dubai.

Paying extra for lucky seat

Some travel agents in UAE said they’re getting inquiries from some travellers interested in the 11A seat.

“Yes, people are asking about the 11A seat. People are showing interest that they want 11A or a seat in the 11th row (either A, B or C). Interest has grown up suddenly and people don’t mind paying Dh200 for the seat,” said Avinash Adnani, partner at Neo Travel and Tourism.

“More than luck, people believe that it is a safe seat and there will be less impact in case of cash. We are getting inquiries from the Indian passengers,” added Adnani.

Seats near emergency exits are generally considered premium because of the additional legroom and are often reserved for frequent flyers. However, airlines typically restrict access to these seats for children, pregnant women, and elderly passengers due to safety regulations.

Which seat is safer?

Reena Philip, General Manager, Air Travel Enterprises, Dubai, said it is difficult to generalise, but it is normally believed that tail-end seats are safer in the event of a crash.

Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism, said only a few flights have that 11A emergency exit seat.

What expert says

Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said it is often surmised sitting towards the rear of an aircraft might be perceived as safer in the event of a crash, as was most recently witnessed in the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash, where two flight attendants survived.

“But equally, this is not always the case and this is evidenced by Japan Airlines Boeing 747-100 crashed in August 1985 into a mountainside outside of Tokyo. In that crash, the four survivors were all sat in the centre/left cabin area. Just as no two snowflakes are the same, no two air crashes are the same, ergo, surviving such an event is not predictable — at all,” said Ahmad.

Waheed Abbas

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.