After the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives, the airline is facing a new wave of criticism, not for its operations, but for a statement by its CEO, Campbell Wilson, which is now being called “plagiarized.”
Wilson’s video message, released two days after the crash, has sparked online outrage, with social media users pointing out striking similarities to a 2023 speech by American Airlines CEO Robert Isom. Both speeches addressed tragic air disasters, and several identical phrases have raised eyebrows.
Air India CEO Accused of Copying Condolence Speech
Phrases in both included, “I want to brief you on a serious accident,” and “This is a difficult day for all of us.” Wilson also said, “I know there are many questions and at this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share information I have at this time,” — lines that closely mirror Isom’s past remarks following a mid-air crash in Washington DC that killed 67 people.
Other overlapping expressions include “emergency response efforts” and “We are actively working with…”, which many felt sounded too familiar. Some users even joked about whether both CEOs used the same consultants or AI tools to draft the statements.
Netizens Slam Campbell Wilson
While the backlash grew, industrialist Harsh Goenka commented on the similarity, calling it a “good perspective.” Another user on X (formerly Twitter) defended Wilson, stating, “The SOPs in such situations is common, and if standard procedures are common, using similar/same verbatim to express thoughts is common too. There could and must be multiple things to criticise Air India but this, in my opinion, is far fetched.”
Wilson’s original statement included, “First and most importantly, I would like to express our deep sorrow about this event. This is a difficult day for all of us here in India. And it’s now focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families, and loved ones. The injured passengers have been taken by local authorities to the nearest hospitals. We are actively working with the authorities on all emergency response efforts.”
The Air India aircraft, heading to London from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, crashed 32 seconds after takeoff. The victims included 10 cabin crew members, two pilots, and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Officials have conducted DNA tests on 132 bodies, and 97 have been handed over to families so far.