AI flight with MPs diverted to Chennai due to snag

A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram carrying several Members of Parliament, including Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, was diverted to Chennai after a suspected technical snag on Sunday night.

Venugopal took to X to narrate what he called a “harrowing journey” on AI 2455, claiming passengers came “frighteningly close to tragedy”.

“Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi, carrying myself, several MPs and hundreds of passengers, came frighteningly close to tragedy today. What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after takeoff, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai. For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land — until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt, when another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway,” Venugopal wrote.

“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. We were saved by skill and luck,” he added, warning that “passenger safety cannot depend on luck”.

The Congress leader tagged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, demanding an investigation, fixing accountability and preventing such incidents in the future.

Air India responded directly to Venugopal, disputing part of his account. “Dear Venugopal, 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 ATC during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway. Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight,” the airline said.

It further said, “We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority. Thank you for your understanding.”

Venugopal, however, accused the airline of “lying” and reiterated his demand for a “fair inquiry”.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar shows the aircraft departed Thiruvananthapuram at 8.17 p.m on Sunday, landed in Chennai at 10.35 pm, took off again at 1.40 am and finally reached Delhi at 3.58 am.

The DGCA official said the flight experienced moderate turbulence en route and circled over Chennai to burn excess fuel. “During this time, the pilots suspected a possible malfunction in the weather radar. As the aircraft was preparing to land, the Chennai ATC instructed an aborted approach after an earlier flight reported debris on the runway. Engineering checks later found no fault with the radar, but it was replaced with a serviceable unit as a precaution,” said the aviation watchdog official.