A day after Delhi-bound flight made an emergency landing at the Chennai airport, Air India on Monday clarified that Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi Air India flight, carrying passengers including five MPs, was diverted to Chennai as a ”precautionary measure” after the pilot detected a suspected technical issue and in view of the weather conditions en route to the national capital.
The airlines further said the decision was taken in the “best interest” of the safety of the passengers and crew.
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.
In a fresh statement, Air India spokesperson said, “Air India clarifies that flight AI2455 of 10 August operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was diverted to Chennai as a precautionary measure after the pilot detected a suspected technical issue and in view of the weather conditions en route to Delhi. It was decided to divert to Chennai instead of Bengaluru as the weather in Chennai was clear. As the aircraft was overweight for an immediate landing the pilot had to hold over Chennai to reduce weight and no emergency was declared. During the first landing approach, the ATC asked the pilots to initiate a go-around as another aircraft that had taken off from the same runway had reported a suspected foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway”
“After following a standard go-around, the flight made a normal and safe landing. We would like to reiterate that the decision to divert to Chennai was taken in the best interest of the safety of our passengers and crew. Our crew are well trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed the protocols during the entire flight. All the affected passengers were accommodated on alternate flights to Delhi and the said aircraft has also resumed commercial operations. Air India deeply regrets any inconvenience caused by the diversion and consequent delay,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also released a statement on the diversion of Air India flight AI2455 Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi on August 10, following Congress MP KC Venugopal describing it as “frighteningly close to tragedy.
“On 10.08.2025, Air India A320 aircraft VT-TNL was scheduled to operate flight AI2455 (Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi) with a scheduled time of departure as 19:15 IST. Due to the late arrival of aircraft from Delhi (Weather Diversion+consequential+commercial), the aircraft departed Thiruvananthapuram at 20:04 IST, i.e. with a total delay of 49 minutes,” the statement read.
“During the flight, the aircraft encountered moderate turbulent conditions. Crew observed that the weather information depicted on the weather RADAR was not accurate, suspecting weather RADAR malfunction diverted to Chennai,” the DGCA added further in his statement.
“To avoid an overweight landing and burn extra fuel, the aircraft with the ATC clearance orbited 25NM northeast of Chennai for 43 minutes (from 21:25IST to 22:08IST).
After the aircraft was cleared for approach Runway 25 at Chennai, at 2219IST, the aircraft was instructed to carry out a missed approach by ATC as departing Gulf Air flight GFA053 Chennai-Bahrain) reported debris on the left side of the runway,” read the lines of the statement.
The DGCA further said, “Apron control carried out an inspection of the runway, and nothing was observed. The aircraft was given landing clearance and landed safely at 22:39 IST. During the engineering inspection, no deficiency was observed. However, as a precautionary measure, the WX radar transreceiver was replaced with a serviceable one.”
Earlier, in a post on X, Congress MP Venugopal 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. 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 @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again.”
Air India, in a statement on X, addressing to Venugopal, wrote, “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.”