Trivandrum-Delhi Air India flight makes emergency landing in Chennai, Congress MP says frighteningly close to tragedy
An Air India plane from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing after suffering a technical snag. The plane landed in Chennai where the aircraft was undergoing safety checks. The passengers on the plane included Congress MP KC Venugopal who urged the airlines and DGCA to look into the matter at the earliest. He claimed that the passengers came "very close to tragedy".
New Delhi: An Air India plane from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi had to make an emergency landing in Chennai on Sunday night. The landing was reportedly due to a technical snag. Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal was on the flight and said that the passengers came "frighteningly close to tragedy".
Several MP were onboard the plane: Venugopal
Venugopal took to social media platform, 'X' to share the ordeal. 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."
The Congress leader further said that the plane circled the airport awaiting clearance to land. This continued for a good 2 hours, according to the leader. He further said that the first attempt at landing proved to be a "heart stopping event" as another plane was on the same runway. Venugopal however praised the presence of mind of the Captain whose quick decision to pull up saved every life on board.
The flight managed to land safely on its second attempt.
The Congress leader demanded an enquiry in the incident. He said, "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."
Air India's response
In a statement the airlines acknowledged the incident. They said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
The airlines also responded to Venugopal's tweet. They wrote on social media platform, 'X', "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."
The airline further said that it understood the passengers' concerns and that such an experience can be unsettling. They said that they regretted the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to Venugopal and other passengers, but that safety was the main priority of the airlines.
Air India said that the flight landed safely in Delhi, where the plane will undergo safety checks. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their respective destinations, they added. The airlines also expressed regret at the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to the passengers.
There were no details on the number of passengers on board at the time of the incident.