Claim: Indian military aircraft have been banned by the Dubai Air Show administration or the International Aeronautics Association after the November 2025 Tejas jet crash.
Fact: No such ban has been imposed by the Dubai Air Show organisers. Furthermore, there is no credible evidence to support the existence of the “International Aeronautics Association”.
On 22 November 2025, X (formerly Twitter) user @Beenishmalkani wrote (archive) that the Dubai Air Show administration had imposed a five-year ban on Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft after one of its jets crashed in the city-state.
The X post also mentioned that the decision was “taken in light of breaking the rules by not providing camera access in the cockpit during demo flight of the crashed Tejas yesterday”.
A similar Facebook post (archive) claimed, “As per International Aeronautics Association (IAA), Indian Air Force aircrafts have been banned from air shows worldwide.”
It was accompanied by an image — apparently generated by artificial intelligence (AI) — of multiple fighter jets and text that reads, “International Aeronautics Association (IAA) bans Indian Air Force aircraft from all international ainehowsy ain (sic) shows with immediate effect due to safety concerns”.
The words “ainehowsy ain” are indicative of AI-generated text in a visual.
Indian jet crash kills pilot
On 21 November 2025, an IAF jet — India’s indigenous Tejas aircraft manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — crashed at the Dubai Air Show during a demonstration, killing the pilot who was identified as Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
“Firefighting and emergency teams responded rapidly to the incident,” the Dubai Media Office said in a statement, confirming the crash.
The IAF said “a court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident”. Syal was a “dedicated fighter pilot and thorough professional”, it added.
The Dubai Air Show organisers offered condolences, saying later that their decision to continue the event was made “as a mark of respect and tribute to his [the pilot’s] passion for aviation”. It added, “The final displays after the incident were performed in his honour, and a formal service was held on Saturday to celebrate his life and contribution.”
HAL, the jet’s manufacturer, termed the Tejas crash as “an isolated occurrence caused by exceptional circumstances”, according to a report.
The latest crash was the second one involving a Tejas jet since the aircraft was inducted in the IAF in July 2016.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif posted the screenshot of an X post by the Pakistan Strategic Forum (PSF), which offered “sincere deep condolences to the Indian Air Force & to the family of the pilot” and said “Our rivalry belongs to the skies ONLY.”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check searched for authentic reports with verifiable sources, but did not find anything related to such a ban on Indian military aircraft.
We did not find any such statement on the Dubai Air Show’s website, nor did we come across evidence in the global aviation governance space of the existence of a body called the “International Aeronautics Association” that has the authority to impose bans on military aircraft.
There are other bodies such as International Air Transport Association (IATA), the specialised United Nations (UN) agency called International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA), among others; however none of them appear to have announced any such bans.
Moreover, there are no single, non-governmental organisations or “associations” that have the authority to impose a ban on countries’ military aircraft.
Interestingly, the PSF — whose X post was shared by Defence Minister Asif — itself denied the claim on Facebook, writing, “Reports regarding ‘5x year flying ban’ on Indian Air Force by UAE authorities are absolutely FAKE 🚨”.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that the claim that Indian military aircraft have been banned by the Dubai Air Show administration or the so-called International Aeronautics Association is false.
Virality
The X post by @Beenishmalkani has garnered over 174,000 views as of writing time.
Soch Fact Check found the claim circulating here on Instagram and here and here on X.
Conclusion: No such ban has been imposed by the Dubai Air Show organisers. Furthermore, there is no credible evidence to support the existence of the “International Aeronautics Association”.
Background image in cover photo: Richard R. Schünemann
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com