‘Captain’s quick decision saved lives…’: Congress MP says Air India flight came ‘close to tragedy’; carrier denies claims

An Air India flight to Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram came “frighteningly close to tragedy”, said Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal who was aboard the flight. He said that another flight was on the same runway they were supposed to land and the pilot’s quick judgment and action saved them. However, Air India, in a statement, has denied the claims.

Venugopal said Air India flight AI2455 that was travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi and also had several other MPs onboard was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening. He said, "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 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 said in the post.

"We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.

Air India denied the claims of the presence of another aircraft on the runway. Responding to Venugopal, Air India said, "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 (air traffic control) 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," Air India claimed.

The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information from the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

The airline confirmed that the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft underwent necessary checks. Alternative arrangements were made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said.

The flight took off shortly after 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10:35 pm, according to Flightradar24.com.