KC Venugopal, who was on board diverted Air India flight, says it ‘came frighteningly close to tragedy’

NEW DELHI: Congress MP KC Venugopal was among the passengers on an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi that was diverted to Chennai on Sunday due to a suspected technical issue and weather conditions along the route, as the airline has confirmed.

Congress MP described the experience as “frighteningly close to tragedy” in a post shared on X. The post read, “Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi — carrying myself, several MPs, and hundreds of passengers — came frighteningly close to tragedy today”.

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

“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”, the post further reads.

Venugopal urged aviation authorities to take swift action, saying, “@DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI must investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again”.

According to Flightradar24, the Air India flight AI2455 was scheduled to depart Thiruvananthapuram at 7.15 pm, but took off at 8.17 pm. The flight, originally expected to arrive in Delhi at 10.45 pm, instead landed safely in Chennai.

An Air India spokesperson, in a statement, said, “The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route. The flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks”.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to the affected passengers. Our colleagues on the ground in Chennai are extending support to the passengers to minimise it and are making alternative arrangements to fly the passengers to their respective destinations at the earliest”, an Air India spokesperson added. The airline emphasised that passenger and crew safety remains its top priority. (ANI)