A-I flight saw 'heart-stopping moment', says Congress MP; airline responds

Venugopal said that another aircraft was on the same runway where his Air India flight was attempting to land

Senior Congress leader and MP K C Venugopal on Monday posted on his X account alleging that Air India flight AI 2455, which he had boarded, came 'frighteningly' close to a tragedy.

 

Expressing his disappointment, Venugopal wrote, "Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi, carrying myself, several MPs, and hundreds of passengers, came frighteningly close to tragedy today."

 

Describing the experience, the senior leader said, "What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey."

Flight was diverted to Chennai

Shortly after take-off, the flight Venugopal had boarded experienced unprecedented turbulence. An hour later, the flight was diverted to Chennai due to technical issues. 

 

 

The plane kept circling the airport for nearly two hours due to the lack of clearance to land, wrote Venugopal.

A heart-stopping moment

During the first attempt at landing, Venugopal said that 'in a heart-stopping moment', another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. The Captain’s quick decision to pull up saved every life on board and the flight landed safely on the second attempt, he added.

'Passenger safety cannot depend on luck'

Calling for strong action from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Venugopal said they were saved by skill and luck. 'Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge DGCA to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," he wrote.

Airline issues clarification

Issuing a clarification on the incident, Air India said that no other aircraft were present on the runway. 

 

Responding to the senior Congress MP's post, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions. A go-around was instructed by Chennai Air Traffic Control during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway."

 

The airline asserted that the pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and they followed standard procedures throughout the flight.

Air India is lying, says Venugopal

Shortly after the airline's statement, Venugopal rebuked the clarification, saying 'Air India is lying.' In a video posted on X by news agency ANI, the Congress MP said there should be an inquiry into the issue.

 

'It was announced by the pilot that there was another aircraft on the runway when we were going to land. I spoke to DGCA as well. Let them have an inquiry. Air India is lying," he said.