The photo, which is claimed to have been taken at the Belgrade airport, has been clicked hundreds of thousands of times on social media. But according to DW's research, it is fake.
The alleged flight that has as its destination "Kosovo Serbia" seems to be a deliberate provocation. Kosovo is not a city, but a state, and the name of the state is not usually written on the airport signs, but of the city where the plane arrives. The parliament of Kosovo also announced independence in 2008, although Serbia, Russia and China, or five EU countries do not recognize it.Kiev is also the capital of Ukraine and not a city in Russia.
Also, if we look more carefully at the photo, other forgeries stand out. On the left side, for example, in the case of the supposed flights to Kiev and Kosovo are the flags of the countries instead of the airline logos, as in the case of the other flights.
Flight numbers testify to manipulation
According to DW research, even the flight numbers show that the photo is fake. A flight number is an identification number that specifies a flight of a particular airline. The letters stand for the airline, while the numbers relate to information about the flight, place and time of departure, and destination.
Thus, the claimed flight to Kosovo with number W6 4051 is according to "My Flight Right" the identification number of a Wizz Air flight from Belgrade to Basel-Muhlhouse-Freiburg (MLH).
Even the flight to Kiev shows that the photo is manipulated. Asked by DW, an Air Serbia spokesperson confirmed that flight JU600 belongs to the Belgrade-Vienna connection and that Air Serbia does not fly to Kiev.
Flight chart another test for manipulation
Even the photographed sign is not at the Belgrade airport. Asked by DW, a spokesman for the Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade clarified that the signs and flight screens at this airport are different from what is seen in the photo. Belgrade Airport also sent photos of the actual flight display boards as evidence.
The "Vinci Airports" logo can also be seen in the upper right corner of these photos. Vinci Airports is a private airport operator, which also manages the Belgrade airport./ DW