‘Put him on no-fly list if lying’: BJP after Venugopal’s Chennai runway scare claim denied

BJP’s Amit Malviya said the Congress leader should face consequences if Air India’s and DGCA’s denial proves true, after Venugopal alleged an aircraft “came frighteningly close to tragedy.”

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday cited Air India's denial of Congress leader K C Venugopal's claim that an aircraft carrying MPs, including him, came close to a "tragedy" due to the presence of another plane on Chennai runway to demand that he should face consequences if his allegation is untrue.

On Sunday, Air India said the flight AI2455 was diverted to Chennai following a suspected technical issue not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway.

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Monday said Air India's flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to suspected malfunctioning of the weather radar of the aircraft, which landed safely.

Tagging Air India's rejoinder and Venugopal's statement on X, BJP IT department headed Amit Malviya said, "This is extremely serious. If senior Congress leader KC Venugopal claims an Air India flight had to abort landing in Chennai because another aircraft was on the runway and the airline immediately contradicts him, then one of them is misrepresenting facts."

He added, "Aviation safety is paramount, and social media posts from supposedly responsible people cannot go unscrutinised. If the allegation is true, Chennai ATC and Air India have much to answer for. If not, Mr Venugopal should face consequences, including being put on a no-fly list for spreading falsehoods."

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".

He, several other MPs besides a large number of passengers were on Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi, he added.

"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.

Passengers were saved by skill and luck, he said, adding that passenger safety cannot depend on luck.

He asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again.

Incidentally, Venugupal as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee had recently presided over a meeting of different stakeholders in the aviation industry, where members had extensively discussed airline safety, more so, as the deliberations had come in the wake of the Ahmedabad plane crash involving an Air India flight.

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.

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."

"A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (air traffic control) 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," Air India claimed.

"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," the airline added.