‘Saved by Skill and Luck’: Air India Flight with MP Faces Severe Turbulence Mid-Air, KC Venugopal Recounts ‘Heart-stopping Moment’

An Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was diverted to Chennai on Sunday due to a suspected technical fault, which was detected by the flight's crew.

Air India's flight AI2455 TRV-DEL, which is an A320 aircraft from Tiruvananthapuram to Delhi was operating at 1915 IST and got diverted to Chennai airport due to technical reasons.

Where Is The Flight Now?

According to the airline, the flight AI2455 landed safely in Chennai and that the aircraft would undergo necessary checks.

K C Venugopal's 'Harrowing Journey'

K C Venugopal, the Member of Parliament (MP) elected from Rajasthan, who was on board, took to posting on the social media platform X, saying that it was a "harrowing journey".

"Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi - carrying myself, several MPs, and hundreds of passengers - came frighteningly close to tragedy today," the Member of Parliament wrote.

He further added that what began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey.

Shortly, after the flight's take-off, Venugopal said that they 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 further wrote in his post.

Venugopal also said that they were saved by skill and luck, adding, "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."

Yet another passenger who was travelling on the same flight said, "Yesterday, at 7:45 PM, the Air India flight started from Trivandrum airport to Delhi... After 1 hour and 10 minutes, the pilot announced that there was a communication problem with the radar system, so we had to go back to Chennai."

The passenger further added that then, the pilot announced that the passengers were going to land at the Chennai airport, but before touching the runway, the flight again went up at high speed.

As a result, all the passengers panicked and after 45 minutes of flying over the airport, the pilot announced that they were going to land, and the flight landed safely.

He further added that 160 passengers landed safely at the Delhi airport around 4:30 am, adding that Air India and DGCA should inquire into the matter.

What Was The Airline's Response?

Air India responded to Venugopal's Post saying, "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."

The airline further added that its pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight.

Air India also added that it understands that such an experience can be unsettling and regretted the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to him.

The airline further emphasised that safety has always been their priority and thanked Venugopal for understanding.

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