TfL pulls 65 Germanwings 'Prepare to be surprised' digital ads from the tube in wake of airline disaster
Transport for London (TfL) has purged the London Underground of 65 digital ads from budget airline Germanwings following the horrific crash on Tuesday which resulted in the death of the flight's six crew and 144 passengers.
The brand’s London Underground ‘Get Ready to Be Surprised’ ads have been removed in a bid to avoid distressing viewers and the mourning families of the victims.
Following the Airbus A320, as evidence suggests, being guided into the ground by the co-pilot in an apparent suicide attempt, the hashtags #GermanWings, #4u9525 and #4u9525 trended on Twitter as the international community mourned the deceased.
A TfL spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “Our advertising department was contacted by the company and asked to remove the adverts on Tuesday. We had 65 digital adverts that were taken down within an hour.
'We are in the process of removing larger sheet adverts at 17 stations. Five have already been removed and another ten will come down today.
“The other two will be taken down as quickly as possible.”
The move shadows Malaysia Airlines' ill-fated 'bucket list' competition asking social media users where they want to go before they die - an ill-conceived campaign launched in September following the death of 537 of its passengers in two tragic disasters.