‘Saved by Luck’: Air India Flight with Kerala MPs Faces Mid-Air Scare, Diverts to Chennai

An Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi carrying several Members of Parliament, including Congress secretary KC Venugopal, was forced to divert to Chennai on Sunday after a suspected technical fault. The incident occurred aboard flight AI 2455 and involved severe disturbance, a mid-air technical alert, and a go-around during landing. Air India has confirmed that the diversion was precautionary and that pilots followed standard procedures.

A “Harrowing Journey”

In a detailed post on X, Venugopal described the experience as a “harrowing journey” that brought passengers “frighteningly close to tragedy.” He said the flight, already delayed at departure, encountered severe turbulence shortly after take-off. About an hour into the flight, the captain reported a flight signal fault and announced the diversion to Chennai.

Dramatic Landing Sequence

According to Venugopal, the aircraft circled Chennai airport for nearly two hours awaiting clearance to land. During the first landing attempt, he claimed another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. He credited the captain’s quick decision to pull up for saving lives. The flight landed safely on the second attempt.

Venugopal stressed that “passenger safety cannot depend on luck” and urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to conduct a full investigation. He called for accountability and stronger safeguards to prevent such incidents.

Air India’s Clarification

Air India responded to that, stating that the diversion was due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather. The airline clarified that the go-around was instructed by Chennai air traffic control during the first landing attempt.

“Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures,” Air India said. It also expressed regret for the inconvenience but reaffirmed that safety remained its top priority.

Flight Timeline and Wider Context

Flight data from Flightradar showed the aircraft departed Thiruvananthapuram at 8:17 pm, landed in Chennai at 10:35 pm, departed again at 1:40 am, and it reached Delhi at 3:58 am.

The incident comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Air India’s operations whereas on12 June, a deadly crash claimed 260 lives, including 19 on the ground. More recently, passengers on a San Francisco–Mumbai service reported finding cockroaches onboard, an issue the airline acknowledged while noting that pests can enter aircraft during ground operations despite regular fumigation.