In the latest incident of Air India flights facing technical snags, a Thiruvananthapuram – Delhi flight was diverted to Chennai on Sunday night.
Among the passengers on board were four MPs from Kerala—K.C. Venugopal, K. Radhakrishnan, Kodikkunnil Suresh and Adoor Prakash.
“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 given the weather conditions en route,” Air India said in a statement.
Venugopal, who took to X to share the harrowing experience, said the flight “came frighteningly close to tragedy”.
“What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai,” he said.
"For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt -- 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 further wrote.
Venugoapl, an AICC general secretary, urged the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the incident and fix accountability.
Responding to the Congress leader’s post, Air India said that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions.
It said 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. 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,” Air India said in its post.