On 10 May 2025, the Indian government announced that a ceasefire agreement had been reached with Pakistan following Operation Sindoor (here, here and here). According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart at 3:35 PM, and both sides agreed to cease firing by 5:00 AM Indian Standard Time. However, India later alleged that Pakistan violated the ceasefire within hours of the agreement (here and here), prompting a strong military response. On 11 May 2025, top officials from India’s three armed forces held a press briefing to share details of Operation Sindoor (here). Indian Army DGMO Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, and Vice Admiral Pramod presented evidence of the strikes, including videos and satellite images. Air Marshal Bharti stated that the Indian Air Force had conducted precise airstrikes on terror camps in Bahawalpur and Muridke, showing before-and-after visuals of the targeted sites. He added that while Pakistan had launched drone attacks on India, they were neutralised swiftly, and in retaliation, Indian forces destroyed several Pakistani airbases and radar centres located in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Chaklala (Noor Khan), Saqr, Bholari, and Jacobabad.
In this context, a video (here, here, here and here) is going viral on social media showing a vehicle passing by what appears to be an airport with several damaged aircraft. The video claims that the Indian Army has destroyed Pakistan’s Noor Airport. Let’s find out the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows scenes from Noor Khan (Chaklala) Airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, allegedly destroyed in an Indian attack.
Fact: While India has announced that it has targeted multiple airbases and radar centres, including those in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Chaklala (Noor Khan), Saqr, Bholari, and Jacobabad—in retaliation for Pakistan’s drone strikes, the viral video in question is unrelated to these events. The footage actually shows Khartoum International Airport in Sudan, where numerous aircraft were destroyed during clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in May 2023. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
To find the truth, we closely examined the viral video and found that most of the planes shown are passenger aircraft, with no fighter jets in sight. Moreover, at the 00:52 timestamp, the word ‘SUDAN’ is clearly visible on the tails of several planes.
As the next step in our investigation, we performed a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video. This led us to the same video, which was uploaded by the Instagram page africanaviators_official on 31 March 2025. According to the caption, the video shows the aftermath of intense clashes at Khartoum International Airport in Sudan, where numerous aircraft were destroyed during fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in May 2023. The Sudanese Army later recaptured the airport, marking a major development in the country’s ongoing civil war. The post also highlights the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, urging global attention and support for those affected.
Further investigation revealed that a longer version of the same video was shared by multiple users on social media during the first week of April 2025 (here and here)(archived versions). These users also claimed that the footage was taken at Khartoum International Airport in Sudan. In the extended version, at the 04:32 timestamp, the words “Blue Bird Aviation CO LTD” are visible on an aircraft hangar. Blue Bird Aviation is a private airline company based in Sudan. Based on this evidence, it is evident that the scenes in the viral video are indeed from Khartoum International Airport in Sudan, not from the recent India-Pakistan unrest.
Additionally, reports indicate that the Sudanese army regained control of Khartoum International Airport from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in March 2025, two years after the events in Dadu (here and here).
To sum up, a video showing the destruction at Khartoum International Airport in Sudan is being falsely shared with the claim that it shows Noor Khan (Chaklala) Airbase in Pakistan.
