‘Luck’ saved us: Congress Secy Venugopal shares ‘heart stopping moment’ on Air India flight

Congress secretary KC Venugopal on Monday shared a harrowing experience on X about his journey on Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi. He said the flight, hit by turbulence, was diverted to Chennai, where a “heart-stopping moment” occurred during the first landing attempt — the pilot abruptly pulled up after spotting another aircraft on the same runway, averting a potential tragedy.

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Taking to X, 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.”

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. We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge DGCA and  MoCa to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again.”

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

Responding to Venugopal’s tweet, Air India clarified that a go-around occurred at the Chennai airport not because of presence of another aircraft on the runway but because of “technical conditions and poor weather”.

Air India in a tweet said, “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 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

As per IANS, Air India flight travelling from Thiruvananthapuram towards Delhi, carrying several senior political leaders, was forced to make an emergency landing at Chennai airport late on Sunday, following a suspected radar malfunction.

Flight AI 2455, which took off from Thiruvananthapuram, had among its passengers, four MPs from Kerala — Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, UDF Convenor Adoor Prakash, senior Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh, and K. Radhakrishnan — along with Tamil Nadu MP Robert Bruce.