- By Shibra Arshad
- Sat, 14 Jun 2025 11:02 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
After Seat 11A, which was an emergency seat, saved a life out of 242 people on board, in a deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, seconds after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, demand for seats next to emergency exits has increased.
Travel agencies and booking agents are experiencing a surge in demand for seats near emergency exits after the escape of Viswashkumar Ramesh, who was sitting at seat 11A – near the emergency exit – when the aircraft nosedived to crash onto the government medical college.
All the passengers, including ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, were killed in the crash except a British national of Indian origin, Viswashkumar Ramesh. The survivor escaped the deadly accident using the emergency exit. Following the passenger's survival, the seat 11A is being referred to as a ‘miracle’.
Usually, passengers avoid taking seats near emergency exits as cabin crew give extra instructions to them; however, after the seat near the emergency exit was the reason behind the lone survival people passengers have started demanding a seat near an emergency exit.
Aviation experts told TOI that seats next to the emergency exits don’t offer any additional safety in case of a plane crash, as people assume. It may offer ample legroom, but not very popular among passengers.
After witnessing Viswashkumar's miraculous escape, passengers are willing to pay extra for seats near emergency exits, according to a TOI report quoting travellers. The number of exit seats varies by aircraft type, with planes like Boeing 787, 777, and Airbus A350 having multiple emergency exits. Typically, these planes have 12-24 seats in exit rows, depending on the airline's seating configuration.
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Seat 11A is often a “missing window" seat on many Boeing 787 configurations, especially in the Dreamliner series (787-8 or 787-9).