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'Heart-stopping moment': Congress MP KC Venugopal claims 'another aircraft was on same runway'; Air India contradicts him

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The Times Of Indiapublisher-detail-arrow
11th August, 2025 10:36 IST
NEW DELHI: Air India on Monday issued a clarification over its Thiruvananthapuram–Delhi flight AI2455 after senior Congress leader and MP KC Venugopal , who was on board, described it as a "harrowing journey." The airline said the diversion to Chennai was a "precautionary" measure due to a suspected technical snag and poor weather, rejecting Venugopal’s claim that another aircraft on the runway had forced the plane to abort its landing.

Venugopal dismissed the airline’s explanation, saying, "Air India is lying" and calling for an investigation. "There should be an inquiry into the issue. An unfortunate incident happened yesterday. 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…" the Congress MP said.


In its statement on X addressed to Venugopal, Air India said: "Dear Mr 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. 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."


Earlier, Venugopal had posted on X: "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. 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 added, "We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck."

Following the diversion, Air India arranged another Airbus A320neo (VT-TQE) to fly passengers from Chennai to Delhi as AI2455. The TRV–Delhi flight, which normally takes 3.5 hours and is scheduled to depart at 7:15 pm, left Thiruvananthapuram at 8 pm on Sunday, landed in Chennai at 10:39 pm, and resumed the journey at 1:40 am, finally reaching Delhi at about 4 am.

Reacting to the incident, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya called the matter "extremely serious" and flagged the contradiction between Venugopal’s account and Air India’s clarification.


"If senior Congress leader KC Venugopal claims an Air India flight had to abort landing in Chennai because another aircraft was on the runway and the airline immediately contradicts him, then one of them is misrepresenting facts. Aviation safety is paramount, and social media posts from supposedly responsible people cannot go unscrutinised. If the allegation is true, Chennai ATC and Air India have much to answer for. If not, Mr Venugopal should face consequences, including being put on a no-fly list for spreading falsehoods," Malviya said.

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