UK Man Who Skipped Ill-Fated Air India Flight Talks About Seat 11A And "Weird Coincidence"
Out of 242 on board the Air India flight, one passenger - Vishwas Kumar Ramesh - miraculously survived. He was sitting on seat number 11A.
Speaking to UK-based The Sun, Jackson claimed he was also scheduled to board the same flight, but his plan changed due to unfinished work, forcing him to book Saturday tickets on what would have been the same aircraft if the accident hadn't taken place.
In a "weird coincidence", he further claimed that the seat allotted to him for Saturday's flight was 11A - now being touted as the safest.
"My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did," Jackson told The Sun.
"It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence," the 31-year-old further said, adding that his wife was not aware of his change of plans.
This is 31 year old Owen Jackson from Saffron Walden. He'd been working in India and had been booked to come home on the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday. But work over ran so he changed his flight to Saturday & came home safely. In seat 11A. pic.twitter.com/6MnT6JDsgq
— Gyll King Post Skip Diplomacy (@GyllKing) June 16, 2025
His wife, Phillipa, was left worried after the news broke as she was not aware if Jackson had boarded the flight or not.
Calling the tragedy "awful", she said, "The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling."
How Vishwash Kumar Ramesh's life was saved
When the plane crashed on Thursday, it broke apart with impact, causing a massive fire aided by highly inflammable jet fuel. The 40-year-old told the media that when he opened his eyes, everything was burning, but he managed to squeeze through the broken hatch. He sustained injuries and received treatment in the hospital.
Some families of victims are still waiting to take possession of their loved ones' remains after DNA profiling and other identification of bodies.
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