The Air India flight, which was carrying several MPs, including Congress secretary KC Venugopal, hit turbulence shortly after takeoff from Thiruvananthpuram.
An Air India flight from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi escaped a mishap when another flight came on the same runway after the flight was diverted to Chennai due to a fault.
The flight, AI 2455, which was carrying several MPs, including Congress secretary KC Venugopal, hit turbulence shortly after takeoff from Thiruvananthpuram. According to Flightradar24.com, the flight took off at around 8 PM from Thiruvanathapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 PM.
Venugopal posted about the incident on social media.
“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,” Venugopal wrote in a post on X.
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
According to KC Venugopal, the flight was saved by luck and the pilot’s skill. He called for an investigation into the incident to fix accountability in the matter.
“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,” he added.
Responding to KC Venugopal’s post, Air India commented, “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 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. 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. Thank you for your understanding,” Air India said.
An Air India spokesperson also confirmed the diversion from Thiruvanathapuram to Chennai and cited a technical issue for the same.
