Senior Congress leader and Chairman of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, K.C. Venugopal, has claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi “came frighteningly close to tragedy.”
In a statement, Air India said that flight AI2455, operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
Posting on X late Sunday night, Venugopal said, “Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi — carrying myself, several MPs, and hundreds of passengers — came frighteningly close to tragedy today.”
“What started as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we experienced unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted the flight to Chennai…”
“For nearly two hours, we circled the airport waiting for clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt — when another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the captain’s quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt,” he said.
“We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to urgently investigate this incident, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure such lapses never happen again,” the Congress leader wrote.
Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India clarified, “The diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions.”
“A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (Air Traffic Control) during the first landing attempt at Chennai airport, not because of another aircraft on the runway… Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and they followed standard procedures throughout the flight,” the airline said.
“We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused. However, safety is always our top priority,” Air India added.
Flight AI2455, operated by an Airbus A320, was airborne for over two hours, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
“The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and weather conditions en route,” the airline said earlier.
Air India confirmed the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo necessary checks. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations as soon as possible. The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
Details about the number of passengers on board were not available.
The flight departed a little after 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai around 10:35 pm, per Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been multiple instances of Air India aircraft facing technical issues. (Agencies)
