An Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was diverted to Chennai on Sunday, August 10, due to a suspected technical issue and adverse weather conditions en route.
The incident sparked a political controversy after Congress leader KC Venugopal, who was aboard the flight, described the experience as a “harrowing journey.” His claims, however, were later countered by Air India with a fact-check.
Venugopal stated that he and several other MPs were on flight AI 2455, which encountered turbulence and was forced to make a precautionary landing in Chennai. In a post on X, he claimed that during the first landing attempt, another aircraft was on the runway, prompting the pilot to abort the landing at the last moment — a swift decision that, according to him, saved the lives of those onboard.
“Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi — carrying me, several MPs, and hundreds of other passengers — narrowly avoided a serious incident today,” said KC Venugopal. “What started as a delayed departure quickly turned into a terrifying experience. Shortly after takeoff, the flight encountered severe turbulence. Around an hour later, the captain reported a flight signal issue and diverted the aircraft to Chennai. For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting landing clearance. During the first landing attempt, there was a heart-stopping moment when another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. The captain’s quick decision to abort the landing in that split second saved all lives onboard.”
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…
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) August 10, 2025
“The flight landed safely on the second attempt — thanks to a combination of the pilot’s skill and sheer luck. But passenger safety should never rely on luck,” Venugopal added. “I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to conduct a thorough investigation, determine accountability, and take steps to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
Responding to KC Venugopal’s claims, Air India stated that no other aircraft was on the runway at the time of the landing attempt. The airline clarified that all standard procedures were followed, the diversion was carried out purely as a precaution, and their pilots are thoroughly trained to manage such situations safely.
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…
— Air India (@airindia) August 10, 2025
Air India responded to KC Venugopal’s claims in a post under his X thread, stating:
“Dear Mr. Venugopal, we would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was a precautionary measure due to a suspected technical issue and adverse weather conditions. The go-around during the first landing attempt at Chennai was instructed by ATC, not due to the presence of another aircraft on the runway. Our pilots are thoroughly trained to handle such situations and followed all standard procedures throughout the flight. We understand that the experience may have been unsettling and regret any inconvenience caused. However, passenger safety remains our top priority. Thank you for your understanding.”
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also issued a statement on Monday regarding the incident. It confirmed that the diversion of the Air India flight was due to poor weather and a suspected weather radar malfunction. The flight was instructed to circle over Chennai to burn excess fuel, and the first landing attempt was aborted as per ATC instructions after a departing Gulf Air aircraft reported debris on the runway.
In a statement released today, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that an engineering inspection conducted after landing found no faults with the aircraft. However, as a precautionary measure, the radar transceiver was replaced.
According to the DGCA, “On 10.08.2025, Air India A320 aircraft VT-TNL was scheduled to operate flight AI2455 from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, with a planned departure at 19:15 IST. Due to the delayed arrival of the aircraft from Delhi — caused by a weather diversion and related commercial factors — the flight departed Thiruvananthapuram at 20:04 IST, with a delay of 49 minutes.”
The crew noticed inaccuracies in the weather radar display and, suspecting a malfunction, decided to divert the flight to Chennai as a safety measure.
“To avoid an overweight landing and reduce fuel load, the aircraft, with ATC clearance, orbited approximately 25 nautical miles northeast of Chennai for 43 minutes — from 21:25 IST to 22:08 IST,” the statement continued.
“At 22:19 IST, while the aircraft was on final approach to Runway 25 at Chennai, ATC instructed a missed approach after a departing Gulf Air flight, GFA053 from Chennai to Bahrain, reported debris on the left side of the runway,” the DGCA added.
As a precaution, the DGCA stated that “Apron Control conducted a thorough inspection of the runway, but no debris was found. The aircraft was subsequently cleared to land and touched down safely at 22:39 IST. During the post-landing engineering check, no faults were detected. Nevertheless, as an added safety measure, the weather radar transceiver was replaced with a serviceable unit.”
Despite official clarifications from the authorities, Congress leader KC Venugopal has stood by his version of events and accused Air India of not telling the truth. “There must be an inquiry into the matter. A serious incident took place yesterday. The pilot announced that another aircraft was on the runway as we were about to land. I have also spoken to the DGCA. Let them investigate. Air India is lying…” he stated.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Amit Malviya stated that if KC Venugopal’s claims are found to be false, he should be placed on a no-fly list.
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.
Aviation safety is… https://t.co/SI4m6eMt39 pic.twitter.com/eH2k2gHf3t
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 11, 2025
“This is a very serious matter. If senior Congress leader KC Venugopal claims that an Air India flight aborted landing in Chennai due to another aircraft on the runway, and the airline directly contradicts him, then someone is clearly misrepresenting the facts,” BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on X. “Aviation safety is critical, and public statements by supposedly responsible individuals must be held to account. If the claim is true, both Chennai ATC and Air India have serious questions to answer. But if it is false, Mr. Venugopal must face consequences — including being placed on a no-fly list for spreading misinformation.”
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