Worrying pic of plane wing covered in tape goes viral. What experts say

A photo of an airplane wing covered with duct tape went viral last week, sparking safety concerns on social media. Australian opera singer David posted the picture on Twitter. “When choosing your favourite airline choose wisely,” wrote Wakeham, tagging Qantas. “Profits before safety,” he added.

His picture and the accompanying caption sparked fears that duct tape was being used as a temporary measure to hold the plane wing together. However, experts say that is not the case.
According to Insider, an investigation by CheckMate — a weekly fact-checking newsletter from RMIT and ABC — found the image "is not what it seems."

CheckMate reported that the tape is called “speed tape”, which is commonly used by airlines to cover peeling paint.

“The tape pictured — known as speed tape — is used regularly in the aviation industry and, in this case, was likely applied to cover peeling paint,” it reported.

The plane is the picture is most likely a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, according to the newsletter. Boeing told aviation publication Simple that the safety of its planes is not affected by peeling paint.