Fact-check: This plane with the South Sudan flag and luggage on top is ‘digitally altered’

A Facebook post showing a plane with luggage on top, posted by a social media user on the evening of April 21, 2022, is photoshopped and meant for satire.

By William Afani Paul

A Facebook post last evening left the audience talking after claiming to show a plane with a South Sudan flag and extra luggage tied to it.

Posted on April 21, 2022,  the image depicts a plane with a South Sudan flag carrying luggage on top.

“I am back in Juba; those who always react peacefully to my posts may come for their perfumes and other gifts. In fact, the plane could not carry everything, but we tried including extra luggage at the back of the aircraft,” says the caption of the post, which has more than 250 interactions, 150 comments, and 6 shares.

While the Facebook user who posted the photo, is known for his satirical and sarcastic posts, there was no disclaimer on the post that stated the photo was satirical, fake, or meant as a joke.

The post went viral shortly after it was posted. It was shared by a personal profile here (over 25 interactions, 45 comments and a share) and South Sudan Anataban, a controversial Facebook media and news Facebook page. It got over 1,200 interactions, 207 comments and 48 shares.

However, a Google reverse image search shows that the plane belongs to an Iranian airline called “Atrak Air”.

Atrak Air was founded in 1993 with its headquarters in Ekbatan town, Tehran, Iran. The airline finally commenced services in 2013 with flights to three destinations with further services being added. As of summer 2018, Atrak Air suspended its operations.

The original image of the plane was digitally altered to include the South Sudan flag and the luggage tied to it.

CONCLUSION

211 Check has looked into an image in a Facebook post of a plane with the South Sudan flag and luggage tied to it and finds it to be digitally altered.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

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This fact-check has been produced as part of our incubation program under Code for Africa