New Delhi [India], August 11 : Responding to the claims of Congress MP K C Venugopal that "there was another aircraft in the runway when we are going to land" Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya called it a "extremely serious", claim denied by the Air India a day after a Delhi bound flight made an emergency landing at the Chennai airport.
In a post on X, 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".
"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"
Congress MP K C Venugopal on Monday alleged that Air India is "lying" about a potential safety lapse at the Chennai airport runway, while the Delhi-bound AI 2455 flight had to take a diversion due to bad weather conditions. He also called for a "fair enquiry" by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) into the incident.
"That was a lie, Air India is lying. It was announced by captain only," Venugopal told ANI.
Earlier on Monday, Vengugopal said that while he, along with multiple other MPs, experienced a "harrowing journey" after AI 2455 flight from Trivandrum to Delhi experienced turbulence, leading to a precautionary landing in Chennai. He said in a post on X that while a landing was attempted for the first time, another aircraft was already present at the same spot, and the pilot's "quick decision" to pull up at the last second saving the passengers.
Responding to the claims, Air India said that no aircraft was present on the runway during that time, that standard protocols were followed, and diversion being done as a precautionary measures and their pilots are well trained to handle such situations.
"I have already tweet it yesterday. Exactly there should be an inquiry on that issue. Unfortunate incident happened yesterday, this was announced by the pilot only that there was another aircraft in the runway when we are going to land. This was by the pilot itself," Venugopal told ANI.
"I spoke to the DGCA also let them have a proper enquiry," he added.
Talking about the incident in a post on X, Venugopal wrote that the flight had "come frighteningly close to tragedy," while carrying the MPs from Trivandrum for the Parliament in Delhi.
"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," Venugopal wrote.
"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," he added.
Responding to the claims as a reply to Venugopal's post itself, Air India mentioned, "Dear Mr Venugopal, 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 during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway."
Apologising for the inconvenience caused, the airline reiterated the training given to their pilots and that standard protocols were followed, "Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight. 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. Thank you for your understanding."