Air India vs Congress vs BJP In Big Allegation Row After Flight Diversion To Chennai

Last Updated:August 11, 2025, 11:26 IST

Congress's Venugopal alleged an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi narrowly avoided tragedy after aborting its first landing in Chennai. Air India denied the claim.

A photo of an Air India flight (PTI)

Air India Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi flight’s ‘precautionary diversion’ to Chennai on Sunday sparked a political row after Congress MP KC Venugopal said the experience was “close to a tragedy" and claimed the flight did not land in its first attempt as another aircraft was present on the runway.

The airline, however, denied the claim and stated that the first landing attempt was unsuccessful as a go-around was instructed by the Chennai air traffic control.

As more Congress MPs joined the chorus to Venugopal’s claims, the BJP said the facts should be checked and Venugopal, if misrepresenting facts, should be put on a ‘no-fly’ list.

AIR INDIA’s PRECAUTIONARY DIVERSION

Air India plane flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was diverted to Chennai Sunday evening due to a technical issue, the airline said.

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

“The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on 10 August made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement.

Air India said the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks.

Alternative arrangements were made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused.

Details about the number of passengers were not available.

The flight took off little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, as per information from Flightradar24.com.

CONGRESS MP KC VENUGOPAL AMONG PASSENGERS

KC Venugopal, who was on board the flight, claimed that the Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi “came frighteningly close to tragedy".

In a post on X on Sunday night, Venugopal 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," he added.

“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 wrote in the X post.

“We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.

AIR INDIA’s RESPONSE TO VENUGOPAL

Responding to Venugopal on X, 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.

“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," the airline added.

MANICKAM TAGORE SAYS FLIGHT ‘NARROWLY ESCAPED DISASTER’

Supporting KC Venugopal’s claims, Congress’s Manickam Tagore wrote on X, “Shocked & shaken. Air India AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi, carrying MPs & hundreds of passengers, narrowly escaped disaster today — turbulence, flight signal fault, and a near runway collision in Chennai."

“Passenger safety cannot rely on luck. We demand answers & action NOW," (sic), he added.

It was not known if Tagore was on the flight.

BJP JUMPS IN

As the row snowballed, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that Venugopal, if misrepresenting facts, should be put on a no-fly list by the airline, as Air India contradicted his claim.

“This is extremely serious. 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," Malviya wrote.

“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," he mentioned.

“If not, Mr Venugopal should face consequences, including being put on a no-fly list for spreading falsehoods," he added to his post.

KC VENUGOPAL REITERATES HIS CLAIM, SAYS ‘AIR INDIA IS LYING’

Later, while speaking to reporters, KC Venugopal demanded an inquiry into the matter and said the flight captain had announced that the landing attempt was aborted as there was another aircraft on the runway.

Venugopal also said he spoke to the DGCA.

“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," Venugopal said.

“Let them have an inquiry. Air India is lying," he added.

In recent weeks, there have been instances of some of Air India’s aircraft facing technical snags.

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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First Published:

August 11, 2025, 11:23 IST

News india Air India vs Congress vs BJP In Big Allegation Row After Flight Diversion To Chennai

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