An Air India flight operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on Sunday evening was diverted to Chennai following a suspected technical issue. According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.com, the aircraft was airborne for over two hours before landing at Chennai airport at approximately 10:35 pm. The flight had taken off shortly after 8:00 pm.
Among the passengers was Congress MP KC Venugopal, who later described the incident on X (formerly Twitter) as “frighteningly close to tragedy.” He stated that the journey began with a delay, followed by severe turbulence shortly after take-off. “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,” Venugopal wrote.
According to his post, the captain aborted the initial landing and made a successful second attempt, crediting the crew’s quick decision-making for averting disaster. Venugopal added, “Passenger safety cannot depend on luck.”
Responding to the post, Air India issued a clarification: “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 landing attempt, not because of another aircraft on the runway. Our pilots followed standard procedures, and safety remained the top priority.” The airline expressed regret for any inconvenience caused.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also commented on X, calling the incident “shocking” and demanding immediate answers to ensure passenger safety.
The matter took a political turn when BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleged possible “misrepresentation of facts” by Venugopal. He stated, “If the claim about another aircraft on the runway is untrue, he should face consequences, including being placed on a no-fly list. Aviation safety is paramount, and such statements cannot go unscrutinised.”
In an official statement, Air India confirmed: “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 prevailing weather conditions. The aircraft landed safely and is undergoing the necessary checks. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations at the earliest.”
This incident comes amid a spate of technical issues reported on some of Air India’s aircraft in recent weeks. On August 8, PTI reported that the airline had decided to raise the retirement age for pilots to 65 years and for non-flying staff to 60 years.
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