News Desk – An Air India flight (AI 2455) from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi had a tense journey on Sunday night after it was diverted to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and bad weather.
Congress MP KC Venugopal, who was on board along with several other MPs, said the flight experienced severe turbulence shortly after takeoff. Later, the pilot announced a fault in the flight signal system and decided to divert to Chennai.
According to Venugopal, the aircraft circled the Chennai airport for nearly two hours before attempting to land. He claimed that during the first attempt, “another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway”, forcing the pilot to pull up and try again. The flight landed safely on the second attempt.
Calling it a “heart-stopping moment,” Venugopal praised the pilot’s skill but said passenger safety should not depend on luck. He urged the DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the matter and fix accountability.
Air India, however, denied that another aircraft was on the runway. The airline said Chennai ATC instructed a go-around during the first landing attempt due to operational reasons, and the pilots followed all standard safety procedures.
The airline confirmed the diversion was a precautionary measure and said the aircraft will undergo checks in Chennai. Alternative arrangements are being made for passengers to reach their destinations.
