NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, K C Venugopal, has revealed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi “came frighteningly close to tragedy.”
According to a statement from the airline, Air India flight AI2455, traveling from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
Posting on X 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.”
He added, “What started as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing experience. Shortly after takeoff, we encountered severe turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted the flight to Chennai.
“For nearly two hours, we circled Chennai airport awaiting landing clearance, until a heart-stopping moment on our first landing attempt — reportedly, another aircraft was on the same runway. In that critical moment, the Captain’s quick decision to pull up saved every life onboard. The flight landed safely on the second attempt.”
Venugopal urged the authorities, writing, “We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety should never rely on luck. I call on @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to urgently investigate this incident, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure such lapses do not happen again.”
Responding to Venugopal’s post, Air India clarified, “The diversion to Chennai was a precautionary measure due to a suspected technical issue combined with poor weather conditions.”
The airline further explained, “Chennai Air Traffic Control instructed a go-around during the first landing attempt, not due to another aircraft on the runway. Our pilots are well-trained to handle such scenarios and followed standard procedures throughout the flight.”
“We regret any inconvenience caused by the diversion, but safety remains our top priority,” the airline added.
Flight AI2455, operated by an Airbus A320, was in the air for over two hours, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.com.
Earlier, Air India had stated, “The crew operating flight AI2455 on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and prevailing weather conditions.”
The aircraft landed safely in Chennai, where it will undergo the necessary inspections. Air India is arranging alternative flights to get passengers to their destinations as soon as possible and apologized for the inconvenience.
No details were available regarding the number of passengers onboard.
The flight departed Thiruvananthapuram shortly after 8 pm and landed in Chennai around 10:35 pm, per Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been several reports of technical issues affecting Air India flights.
