'Saved by luck': Delhi-bound Air India flight with 'several' MPs diverted to Chennai after snag; K C Venugopal says 'frighteningly close to tragedy'

An Air India plane flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi with Congress MP K C Venugopal was diverted to Chennai Sunday evening due to a technical issue, the airline said.

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.

"The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on 10 August made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement.

Congress MP K C Venugopal and several other MPs were in the flight, he said in a post shared on X, claiming the flight was "frighteningly close to tragedy."

"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 wrote.

He further mentioned that for two hours the flight 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," the post read.

The MP urged officials to look into the matter and fix accountability.

However, Air India issuing a statement following Venugopal's post said that the diversion was "precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions." The airlines clarified that there was no other aircraft on the runway.

"Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight," the comment read.

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.

(With PTI inputs)