Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused
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Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal on Sunday night claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi came "frighteningly close to tragedy".
In a statement, the airline said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
Taking to X, 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," he said in the post.
"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," the Congress leader wrote. Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions."
"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," Air India claimed.
"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 airline added.
The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused. Details about the number of passengers were not available. The flight took off little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, as per information from Flightradar24.com. In recent weeks, there have been instances of some of Air India's aircraft facing technical snags.
An official statement from the DGCA said, "On 10 August 2025, Air India flight AI2455, operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft (registration VT-TNL), was scheduled to depart from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi at 1915 hours IST. The departure was delayed by 49 minutes due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft from Delhi, which was impacted by weather-related diversions, consequential delays, and commercial adjustments. The aircraft departed Thiruvananthapuram at 2004 hours IST."
It further said, "During cruise, the operating crew encountered moderate turbulence. It was observed that the onboard weather radar was not displaying weather data accurately. As a precautionary measure and in the interest of operational safety, the crew decided to divert to Chennai. To ensure a safe landing weight, the aircraft entered a holding pattern approximately 25 nautical miles northeast of Chennai and remained in orbit for 43 minutes (from 2125 IST to 2208 IST) with ATC clearance, to burn excess fuel. Upon receiving approach clearance for Runway 25 at Chennai, the aircraft initiated final approach. However, at 2219 IST, Chennai ATC instructed the crew to execute a missed approach due to a report from an outbound Gulf Air flight (GFA053, Chennai–Bahrain) indicating suspected debris on the left side of the runway. Subsequent inspection by Apron Control found no debris or anomalies on the runway. Following clearance from ATC, the aircraft landed safely at 2239 IST. Post-landing engineering checks revealed no abnormalities in the aircraft systems. However, as an added safety measure, the weather radar transceiver was replaced with a serviceable unit before further operation."
Air India places the highest priority on the safety of its passengers and crew, and appreciates the professionalism of its operating crew and the support extended by Chennai Air Traffic Control during the event, the statement said.
(With inputs from Madhulika Ram Kavattur)
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